Thank you, readers. I’m keeping my Of the Earth website, but I’m now writing monthly essays on Substack. My stuff is easy to find at barbaraterao.substack.com/p/quote-and-tote. I call it “Quote and Tote: Courage to Carry with You,” offering some pithy quotes, thoughts, and true stories. My topics are varied, leaning toward family, spirituality, nature, and science.

Barbara Wolf Terao and labyrinth

I leave you with useful information from my home state. Minnesota! Come for the culture. Stay because your car won’t start.

Minnesota is the home of the canned meat known as SPAM and the most standard of all meals, the hotdish, which is a baked casserole made with a starch, a meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable, mixed with canned soup.

Be loony. Ululate like a loon! It’s the state bird and one of my favorites on the northern lakes. Or pick up the Midwestern accent, which you may have heard in the “Fargo” movie. Do we have an accent? You betcha!

Another question. Are Minnesotans polite? Yes, but they have their own ways of rebuke. For instance, saying “That’s interesting” (with four syllables not three!) is generally a veiled criticism. At the lake, Ole might say, “Well, Sven, that’s interesting. Most people would tie the anchor to the boat before throwing it overboard.”

Departing from a friend’s house takes a good six or seven steps, at least. 1. Leg slap. 2. “Welp, I suppose.” 3. Move toward the door. 4. Chat. 5. Move to the car, roll window down. 6. Chat. Then be on your way, or maybe stop to make one last comment. Minnesota! Come for the friendliness. Stay for the long goodbye.

This is not goodbye. Come on over to my Quote & Tote Substack, and I’ll hope to hear from you there! Meanwhile, take care. And thanks for your own creativity and being a reader and supporter of me and other writers, artists, and creative folks.