What’s the Difference?

You knew it was coming…my observations on life and the differences between the two states where I’ve lived. First half of my life I lived in Illinois . . .

Second half of my life I lived in Florida . . .

Now I’m back in Illinois again.

Aside from the obvious weather and economic differences in the two places I’ve lived, I’m noticing more subtle differences as well. I’ll probably be popping these up as posts here and there. By all means, if you’d like to share something different about the state you live in too, please do comment.

I wrote about how many more people go outdoors here, but then noticed so much more.

Illinois: In summertime, people drive with their windows down. Many of them have music on too.
Florida: The heat. No way. Even on a pleasant winter day, I rarely saw car windows open.

Illinois: The grass is softer. You can walk barefoot in it and even roll around on it.
Florida: Don’t get your skin anywhere near the grass. They are sharp blades growing between gritty sand where fire breathing ants dwell and will bite you on fire! I learned a lesson not to even walk in the grass with sandals or flip-flops on. Those ants know no bounds.

Illinois: The bugs are surprisingly just as bad in both states, just different kinds. And, what’s with the spiders? I haven’t gone a day without seeing one (in my home) since I arrived 3 1/2 months ago. They are fearless here … will crawl right up near you or ON you. They’re fast, and they HOP! I thought there would be less of them because of cold winters to kill them off, but there are just as many if not more. Did I mention I’m petrified of them?
Florida: The spiders stand still with fear when they see you. This makes them easier to catch. But, most bugs are much bigger. They swarmed us every evening on walks with the dogs.

Illinois: Kids climb trees.
Florida: Aside from prickly palm trees, there are climbable trees in Florida, but I don’t ever recall seeing kids climb trees. I don’t know why, unless it’s for the same reason we can’t walk barefoot in the grass.

Illinois: The weather forecasts have been way off several times since I arrived 3 months ago.
Florida: With the exception of hurricane paths, the weather forecasts were more accurate. Then again, there aren’t many weather changes.

Illinois: The sky is like a distant dream, it looks so far away.

Florida: The sky seems closer to earth, almost like a ceiling. Sometimes its cobalt blue color appeared like a soft surface I could reach up and caress (see above palm tree photo), or like I could grab a cloud and pull it down (see below photo).

Is the state (or country) you live in like Florida or like Illinois? Is the place where you live have another difference from the things I’ve written here?