Have you ever stopped to wonder why the settlers decided

Have you ever stopped to wonder why the settlers decided to stay in certain areas? I know I have. I live in Minnesota where the winters are freezing and the summers hot and humid. We do have thousands of lakes, ponds, streams and rivers that add to the beauty of the land, but we also have mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, deer flies, poison ivy and poison oak. It seems for every plus for living in the area is countered with a negative. It is hard to understand why my German immigrant grandparents decided to stay here. Whenever I bring this up my husband reminds me that we also chose to stay in the area.

There are times that I think we are crazy for living in such a harsh climate, but then again I think I would miss the changing of the seasons if I lived some where that is warm all the time. The summer heat bothers me more than the winter cold. In fact the winter months are my favorite. I love to cross country ski, snow shoe and ice fish. I also love putting on all the layers of clothing to go outside in the winter. Two years ago I bought a faux fur coat. I have always wanted a fur coat, but have not been able to afford one. You also have to be concerned about people confronting you for wearing fur. The faux fur coat is very warm. I have never owned a coat that could block out the cold the way this faux fur coat does.

In the past many of the faux fur coasts were poorly made so they would shed and also look matted in areas that were sat on or leaned against, like the buttock area and the elbows. Today faux fur is much higher quality and keeps looking good even after being dry cleaned. The coat I bought is reversible. One side has the faux fur and the other side is a water repellent fabric. This is a great feature because when if is snowing I can keep dry be turning the coat inside out. So far no animal rights person has confronted me about the coat. My sister had an animal rights person confront her about wearing leather. Leather is another favorite among Minnesotans because it blocks the wind and wears for many years. Last year there was an article that was being passed around that stated fake furs were made from domestic cats and dogs. I did some research into this and discovered that the information in the article was wrong; however there are now many people that are against faux fur. I wish some of the people that protest these things would put their energy into something that would have a more meaningful impact on society.