By Staff
I'm going to do it. I'm going to invoke the dreaded 'S' word.
Now that we have passed into fall, now that the calendar reads 'October,' now that the leaves are starting to change into their brilliant autumn colors, it's time to say winter and its inevitable annual companion – snow – are not far behind.
Honestly, I'm torn as to how I feel about it this season. I'm a born Yooper, hailing from the land that practically makes snow (considering how much lake effect snow the Upper Peninsula receives, there is some truth to that statement.) However, my last two winters were spent well below the Mason-Dixon line in North Carolina, where the cold had no teeth. Every time a native Tar Heeler said something worrisome about the cooler months, I simply told them, 'Y'all don't know winter.'
Down there, temperatures rarely dipped below the low-40s, even in the deepest, darkest part of January. When they did, it was usually after dark. North Carolinians by in large had no concept of the singular joy of walking around in -30 degree temperatures at high noon.
Snow itself in the southern climes was something not often seen, usually just flurries. Actual accumulations were pretty uncommon, and snow that lasted more than a week was downright unheard of in those parts.
Now, I'm staring down my first winter in the greater Niles area. I expect it will be a tad more like winter than what I saw down south, but I don't expect it to be nearly as harsh as it is in my home state of Superior. Either way, I still don't quite know how to feel about it.
Back in the U.P., I dreaded winter each and every year. As a child, it meant bulky, cumbersome clothing, long underwear, snow boots, and on and on. Going outside took 15 minutes of preparation each time. The winter wind would cut like a knife through our farmhouse, and no matter how much I bundled up, it was tough escaping the chill.
As an adult, I learned the challenge of driving in the winter, along with phrases like 'peep-hole driving,' 'white-out,' 'two-tracking,' 'black ice' and everyone's favorite, 'getting stuck.'
And the winters up there lasted forever. I'm sure any Yooper living in these parts will agree to that. I've Trick-or-Treated in a snowsuit as a kid, and my car has been stuck in the snow on May 22 – that's nine days before June!
Above all else, the winter reminded me that the beautiful Upper Peninsula summers were very brief. Growing up on a farm, the things I enjoyed the most were outdoors, and winter meant being cooped up in the house most of the time.
Winter did have its high points. Snowmobiling, tobogganing, ice fishing, snow forts and the like did bring me a lot of enjoyment in my younger years. But now that I'm facing my 37th winter, I do not look to those activities with anticipation as I did then.
This brings me to my quandary. I'm not dreading the snow as I have in the past, yet I have no strong desire for it to get here. Right now, I guess I'm pretty ambivalent about the whole prospect.
This is what will probably get me into trouble. Winter doesn't tolerate indifference. It makes you either love it or hate it, and it will likely find a way of making me hate it just like I did as a kid. What I suspect will happen is I'll see a winter that, while it isn't as bad as I have seen, will have me looking over my shoulder wondering if the real winter is sneaking up and getting ready to bury me.
I suppose I shouldn't ponder it too much. Winter will soon be upon us, and nothing short of global warming – if that – is going to stop it.
So, maybe I should stop complaining and just try to get through fall first.