Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Some Observations About Living in South Dakota

I am amazed by how much I truly like living here in South Dakota. (Remind me of this statement when we are in the dead of winter.) We decided to settle in South Dakota since Kurt's family is here. When we were first married we were stationed in Georgia, then moved to New Jersey, then Missouri before living 11 years in North Carolina. I adjusted to each new place and we made connections and friendships, but to really say that I enjoyed the area--well I don't know if I can say that. But South Dakota is so beautiful I truly do enjoy it.
That being said there are certainly differences about living here.
About a month after we got here we started seeing these little bugs everywhere. Kurt explained that they were Box Elder bugs and were harmless. But, just because they are harmless does not mean that I want to see them everywhere I look.
During the spring I began to notice this stuff floating around in the air that looked like snow. It was everywhere to the point of affecting visibility when driving around. Kurt told us that it was from the Cottonwood trees. These trees are actually no longer allowed to be planted because of the problem they cause. I don't believe that I have ever seen cotton from a cotton wood tree before moving here.
Summer brought more differences. First I started noticing all these little yellow butterflies. They were everywhere. I love butterflies, but when there are so many of them that you notice them hitting your windshield and leaving little yellow marks it is a bit much.
Then came the grasshoppers and crickets. I don't think I have ever seen so many grasshoppers in my entire life. Everywhere you look, and the crickets. Oh my, they are huge. And yes, they are everywhere too. It just seems so strange to me that these things seem to come in waves. I wonder what the next several months will bring.

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