Notables

1. I have yet to see any signs for bail bondsmen here. (In the big O-P we had three within two miles. They were abnormally common. Of course we also lived within two miles of the county and city jails there. I haven't seen a prison yet since I've been here. I hear they have them, I just don't know where.)
2. They do not keep the power lines as clear here as they do in the South. Trees will be missing large chunks out of the tops to keep them from touching the power lines in the South, but here they seem to be allowed to grow wild and free.
3. It has been pointed out that I have failed to mention that there are exactly 472,000 Dunkin' Donuts here. (And that's just on our side of town...)
4. I have also been asked to mention the roundabouts or rotaries. There are only a couple near us, but I hear there are a lot more that are a lot more complex on the Cape.
5. Small, family-owned local businesses are everywhere and they are some of the most interesting places to visit.
6. Where have snow boots been my entire life?! They have become my favorite shoes. Warm doesn't even cover it. I love them!
7. Our cat has gotten fatter since we moved here. We're not sure if she's power-loading extra layers of fat for the winter or if her hair has just gotten thicker. Time will tell.
8. Sixty-eight degrees feels soooo much warmer than 64. (That's the inside temp-- evening vs. daytime on the programmed thermostat.)
9. Good jobs are hard to find. This is true everywhere, but since our state boasts one of the lowest employment rates in the US (5.4%), I don't think a lot of people here have truly grasped just how bad it is in the rest of the US. Just an observation from a few overheard conversations today.
10. I have a new dentist and he is awesome. He had heard of Troy University and also watched college football. That alone is enough reason for me to fully commit to that particular office. (There are 100 more reasons why I'm sticking with this office, but they aren't as exciting or fun as the fact that he had heard of my college and that he knew that there was a HUGE game this weekend for the SEC. Even got a big "Geaux Tigers" out of him... my Engineer was pleased.)