And I never once mention sports!
During the global and national insanity of the last week I found myself grateful for my little neck of the woods on the banks of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Why?
- The Lifestyle. A person can live within their means here and live pretty damn well. Being in a chronic recession since the '70s has its benefits. We didn't get hit hard by the mortgage crisis because there was no real estate bubble to burst. I'm not crazy about the value of my house but it's better than the current alternative.
- The Weather. Yes, I said the weather. We get really tired of outsiders making fun of our weather or worse, not taking a job offer seriously because they are afraid of the winters here. The winters are a lot milder here than in Kansas (where I grew up so I know) and the snow is just enough to make the landscape pretty, not grey and bleak. Summers are lovely. The growing season could be longer but the gardens are gorgeous!
- Wegman's. At the risk of sounding shamelessly commercial…We have people from all over the country visit and they all go gaga over Wegman's. Being a gourmet foodie married to a gourmet foodie, I love it that we can find the weirdest ingredient at Wegman's. When I can't, they take it personally and will find it for me. So cool!
- It's Home. We are transplants from NYC who have grown roots in WNY. My kids were born and are very happy here, we've made deep life-lasting friendships and found community support for our business ventures. My mother relocated here to receive wonderful care at Roswell and after they did everything they could, she passed away here. That makes WNY sacred ground as far as I'm concerned.
