I like the arrangement.

When I'm gone from Minnesota for a relatively long time (months), it helps me see Minnesota in a more positive light. In some respects, I miss the place. But I also talked to a native Minnesotan now living in Arizona. And he tells me he doesn't miss the place. He'd be all right with never returning. That he prefers other parts of the country. Even Arizona. In the summertime, no less. But he also talks of recently falling in love with Oregon. Especially along the Pacific coast. He'd rather vacation in Oregon than in Minnesota. My attachment to Minnesota came through my first true love. She lived in Minnesota all her life. Now I have my second true love. And she's Italian. Living in Sardinia. That's lured me away from Minnesota for half of the year. And I like the back-and-forth arrangement. --Jim Broede