There’s something I noticed following last week’s snow. The reactions people have to the first snow of the year are markedly different than the ones they have as winter wears on.
I’ve had a crack team of researchers on this, and we’ve determined that there are five types of reactions Yoopers have to snow. And they’re chronological, starting with “LOOK, EVERYONE, IT’S SNOWING!” when the first few flakes hit the ground and every single person in Upper Michigan has to post a picture of the snow on social media just to make sure every other single person knows it’s snowing out.
That’s followed by, “IT’S SO PRETTY!” This is a reaction that even people who loathe snow have. But there’s one caveat to this. This only lasts for a two-week period around the holidays. That’s it.
We can get through those two just fine. It’s what comes after when the snow starts to hit the fan. And that begins with, “THE APOCALYPSE IS NIGH!”
This is how you feel when you don’t see the sun for three weeks, and your outdoor thermometer has forgotten that temperatures CAN get into double digits.
This also causes older people to start reminiscing about how when they were young they walked to school through this type of weather each and every day. Uphill. Both ways. In the dark. Blindfolded.
That’s followed in very short order by, “WHAT THE BLOODY WHAT???” This reaction comes during a multi-day storm where snowfall is measured in feet instead of inches, you can’t drive anywhere, and as soon as you finish blowing the snow from your driveway, it’s so covered up with new snow you have to start all over again… so you just go inside and drink a lot of beer.
Finally, there’s, “WHY DO WE LIVE HERE?” This is when winter stretches into March, and then April, with no signs of giving up. It can drive even the hardiest of Yoopers to look out their front window and start sobbing, “please, just make it stop…”
And that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that it might snow in May, as well.
We’ve now seen snow for the first time this season, and as we all know, it certainly won’t be the last.
Hope you’re ready!
I’m Jim Koski, and that’s another slice of “Life in the 906.”
