Today marks one year since my wife and I officially moved to Austin.

Prior to that, my first visit to Austin (and Minnesota for that matter) was on Halloween 2016. My wife is a Hormel employee and had to come for training at the Hormel Foods corporate office. She was being transferred here, so I accompanied her to get the feel of the city and look for a place to live. Fortunately, we found a house to rent in our brief time here and made the arrangements to move in early December.

My wife had to work her last day at her former plant in Rochelle, Illinois, on the day the movers were scheduled to arrive, so I drove up a day early to meet them. If you have never driven a car without a functional heater in a Minnesota winter, then count yourself lucky. Mind you, I came from the South, where temperatures in the 40s are considered frigid and even the slightest threat of snow causes a mass panic. Arriving at the Holiday Inn, I was greeted by a blast of wind that stung every inch of exposed skin. It felt like having hypodermic needles repeatedly driven into my face and neck. The hotel receptionist kept asking if I was okay because I couldn’t stop shaking; she even called my room to make sure I had enough blankets. It was at that point I was convinced that “Minnesota” was the Native American word for “tongue stuck to flag pole.”

Lesson number one: The rumors about Minnesota winters are true.

The next day, the movers came and I directed them while my wife worked her last day in Rochelle. All was well and good until they tried to move the queen-sized box spring for our bed upstairs. The house was built in 1940, during the days when couples slept in separate beds, Ozzie and Harriet-style. The corner leading up the staircase was too narrow and the ceiling too low to fit the box spring. Since my wife, whose vehicle was the only one at the time capable of fitting box springs in the back, did not get to the house until after 8 p.m., we slept that night on the couch as best we could (and it was pretty clear our best wasn’t good enough). We purchased two twin sized box springs the next day.

Lesson number two: Any box spring bigger than a twin is doomed for failure in an older house.

That weekend was when the first big snow of the 2016 winter season hit Mower County. Fortunately, we had a snow shovel from when my wife lived in Illinois. Unfortunately, we lived on a corner lot, which meant I was responsible for shoveling twice as much sidewalk as my neighbors. And while Hans and Franz would have been proud that I wasn’t a girly-man about it, my first introduction to snow shoveling was very exhausting.

Lesson number three: See lesson number one.

Christmas came shortly after the move. We lived along Fourth Street in the southwest part of town, and this was our first Christmas away from family. My mother tried to send us a package with gifts and some personal items from my childhood, but when she went to UPS, our address kept coming up in their system as “Northwest.” Despite her telling them we lived in the “Southwest,” they didn’t bother to change it, telling her, “It’ll get there.” As it turns out, there was a northwest address with the same house number, which is where the package was delivered. The residents of the home to which it was wrongly delivered didn’t return the items, even though their names were not on the package.

Lesson number four: I despise UPS.

With the new location came the task of trying to find a job. My wife was sent to Iowa for what was supposed to be 12 weeks, but thankfully was shortened to five. Even so, I was going stir crazy with the boredom of not having a regular routine. My background is in history, not journalism (I’m sure that revelation is a shocker), but I figured the skills are transferable, so when I saw the Austin Daily Herald was hiring, I jumped at the opportunity.

Lesson number five: No work and all boredom make Mike a dull boy.

Since I’ve been working with the Herald, I have learned so much about the community. Despite some negatives, my foray into journalism has shown that most people in this community know what a special place it is. Never have I seen so much effort to make a community a better place to live, from long-term goals set by groups like Vision 2020, to something as simple as putting flowers out around town during summer. Never have I seen a community so devoted to promoting the arts, from Summerset Theatre to the ArtWorks Festival, and outdoor recreational activities, from the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center and the many biking trails. Perhaps it is transitioning from a metropolitan area to a smaller city, or maybe it is simply the nature of my job, but there is a palpable connection between the people here that I have not experienced elsewhere. Either way, southern hospitality has been replaced in my life by Minnesota nice, and it has been an honor for me to get to know the community and tell its stories over these past few months.

Lesson number six: There are many good people and a great sense of community in Austin.

So, here’s to one year in Austin, a town I am proud to call my new home. I hope to spend many more within the city limits.

And here’s to a column about Austin, Minnesota, in which Spam was not mentioned.

Lesson number seven: Spam, Spam,Spam, Spam. SPAM!!!! WONDERFUL SPAM!!!!