Your least favorite thing about Winter? (cars, firm, driveway)

[Citykid3785]

I learned way more about soil in this thread than I ever thought possible!

[Ghengis]

Went along with a couple of those that voted for otters as their scratching leaves marks on the doors as they try to gain entrance into homes.

[slamont61]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

Went along with a couple of those that voted for otters as their scratching leaves marks on the doors as they try to gain entrance into homes.

Solved that problem with random bear traps. Haven't had one of those critters scratch at my door in years. Considered a flaming moat but that seemed extreme.

[jmgg]

Que up Irving Berlin.


"I'm dreaming, of a BROWN Christmas".

(Tells you what part of winter I hate the worst)

[kemahkami]

Originally Posted by jennifat

Can you explain to me how tropical fruits are more "useful" than the world's most important staple foods like potatoes, corn, wheat, beans, soy, etc., all of which are grown in the "barren wasteland" of the Midwest?

It's all about variety. You see, all those crops you listed can be grown in warmer climates. But the Midwest can't grow the unique crops that need warmer climates to survive.

So you're saying that biodiversity in one part of the world is less important than biodiversity in another? Let's just pave over the Arctic, where there's relatively little biodiversity (we'll pretend it's not mostly ocean/ice cap). No unique species there that face imminent extinction. No siree.

I judge the importance of an area's biodiversity based on the level of uniqueness.

The North Pole is an interesting case in that it has few species that live there, but they are all unique to the region. Wiping that area out will certainly cause extinctions. But with Minnesota, pretty much all the flora and fauna can still be found elsewhere in the Eastern US, so getting rid of the habitat there wouldn't be of much detriment.

In all fairness, though, most of the US in general is quite boring in terms of biodiversity. The only cool-looking areas are the coastal Southwest, the desert Southwest, as well as the coastal Gulf/Atlantic South.

Because they didn't have the resources, the knowledge, or technology needed to colonize. There's a reason why most of the world's tropical regions are still profoundly impoverished.

The reason is because many there are in full realization of the Edens that they inhabit, and therefore consciously choose to enjoy life and live free. Which may be great for personal enjoyment, but quite detrimental in terms of what makes the economy tick.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by ScrappyJoe

It's all about variety. You see, all those crops you listed can be grown in warmer climates. But the Midwest can't grow the unique crops that need warmer climates to survive.



I judge the importance of an area's biodiversity based on the level of uniqueness.

The North Pole is an interesting case in that it has few species that live there, but they are all unique to the region. Wiping that area out will certainly cause extinctions. But with Minnesota, pretty much all the flora and fauna can still be found elsewhere in the Eastern US, so getting rid of the habitat there wouldn't be of much detriment.

In all fairness, though, most of the US in general is quite boring in terms of biodiversity. The only cool-looking areas are the coastal Southwest, the desert Southwest, as well as the coastal Gulf/Atlantic South.



The reason is because many there are in full realization of the Edens that they inhabit, and therefore consciously choose to enjoy life and live free. Which may be great for personal enjoyment, but quite detrimental in terms of what makes the economy tick.

None of this is actually true. It’s either incorrect or an opinion.

[Minntoaz]

The cranky people! Seriously everyone needs to start taking their vitamin D, and get their happy light out! You see people out and about just glaring at the world. Seriously, vitamin D helps so much!

[Kavalier]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

The cranky people! Seriously everyone needs to start taking their vitamin D, and get their happy light out! You see people out and about just glaring at the world. Seriously, vitamin D helps so much!

I was just going to say...the overcast days (there was like 3 weeks straight last Winter) really seems to bring me down. Today was the first day that reminded me of it.

I started taking vit D last Winter and I swear it made a big difference in bringing my mood up.

[C24L]

cold

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by Kavalier

No votes for snow (yet). I would think some people hate shoveling. Lots of heart attacks related to shoveling.

It's not that strenuous of a task. People must not be very active if that's the thing that pushes them over the edge...

Originally Posted by Kavalier

It's not totally true, but crime does drop significantly during Winter in MN I believe.

It keeps the homeless people away too, which is a very nice benefit. MSP is so clean, it's a nice refreshment from some of the western cities.

Originally Posted by Kavalier

I was just going to say...the overcast days (there was like 3 weeks straight last Winter) really seems to bring me down. Today was the first day that reminded me of it.

MN isn't that cloudy, except for the Nov-Dec it seems. MSP gets 2700 hrs annually while Denver gets 3100. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...entral_America

We would visit family in MN over Christmas every year growing up. The snow was awesome, it allowed for fun activities, but the -20F stuff was terrible. It just hurts! It sounds like global warming is really going to give the state a boost though, as record lows are vanishing much faster than record highs are being broken. So that awesome soil will be able to grow some bad*** crops here in the near future!!!