By Debra Dowling, Leader Staff Writer

I like Nebraska. People say I tend to pronounce it, “Ne-brass-ka,” with a northeastern accent. But I keep telling them I don’t have an accent! Meanwhile, three months – three rather cold months and counting — yield more impressions.
Places and things I like:

Wide Open Spaces
I felt like tumbleweed at first, as if I might start blowin’ in the wind and never regain footing. Everything felt faraway and out of reach. But now, when I look out my window and can see at least half a mile ahead, I appreciate the wide-angle view.
Years ago, a friend of mine who grew up on a farm in New Jersey said she couldn’t  imagine not being able to see open fields from her front door. Her family had farmed the same land for generations, but housing developments were popping up closer and closer.
They could have remained with mini-mansions sprouting nearby instead of potatoes and wheat, but they chose not to. Now I understand why Jennifer couldn’t live without her sweeping vista. 

Freight Trains
I find them comforting. I like the sight and especially the far-off sound of them, particularly when I’m tucked in at night and hear their whistle and they are chugging in the distance. They rank up there with other comforting fixtures in life like lighthouses, campfires and room at the inn for a weary traveler. Thanks, Union Pacific!

Oxygen
Air quality is consistently good to excellent. I spent two years of college in Jersey City, N.J., where I sometimes had to shut a window for fresh air.

Lil’ Burro
When it comes to Mexican food, I can take it or leave it. But this Bellevue restaurant may convert me. Chile rellenos made with peppers so fresh you’d think they were just picked from the garden if it weren’t the dead of winter. My favorite, cheese enchiladas, never disappoint. And the contrast of hot crunchy coating and cold filling make their fried ice cream a happy ending.

Dixie Quick’s
Some friends urged me to try this quirky Omaha eatery. I drove by and missed it a few times at first. I had been rightly told it’s a dark, nondescript storefront. There’s nothing shabby about the menu though. A cup of oyster stew, an appetizer crab cake and the freshest, tastiest coleslaw I ever had all hit the spot on a recent winter evening. I’ll be back.

Bagel Bin
This was one of the first places I found in Omaha, recommended by several friends who said their bagels were the best — just like in New York. I had to agree. Sadly, it was gutted by fire last month, but I hear the owners plan to rebuild. I hope so.

Places and things I could have skipped:

Snow walls on 48th Street
Don’t get me wrong, I realize snow must be plowed and piled somewhere. But driving south last month from Omaha to Bellevue, I felt I was part of some arctic, sensory-deprivation tank. Walls of snow were piled several feet high on either side of the street, above the vision line. If it weren’t sunset, I would not have known the time of day. It was eerie driving through what felt like a bright white maze, wanting (desperately) to get to a crossroad and see light at the end of the tunnel.

Snow fog
Kind of cool in daylight, or at least navigable, but disorienting and conducive to optical illusions at night.  Caution: objects in mirror and windshield are closer than they appear.

Sarpy County Courthouse
I will not elaborate on matters in family court except to say they try the soul. Yet I have faith in the system and actually find courtrooms oddly comforting. Let’s just say the inside of a courthouse was not high on my list of places to see and things to do.

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