Letters & Opinion
Waking up to see freshly-fallen snow can be refreshing,
but when you get the tease of spring, snow is the last thing you want to see.
No clowning around: Let’s quit this Wisconsin weather
The Pointer
kleb524@uwsp.edu
That’s it; I am joining the circus. In case you have not been to the circus, the events either take place inside (under the big top) or outside in more tropical-type temperatures. I have come to the conclusion that if I join the circus I will not have to deal with Wisconsin’s yo-yo weather.
When I woke up yesterday morning, got ready for the day and then stepped outside, I was taken back to my childhood, a time when snow was beautiful. I gazed at the frosted trees and the Wisconsin terrain all wrapped up in its white blanket.
However, as soon as I stepped down from the front step, I snapped back to reality, remembering that it is mid- February and I was about to walk nine blocks to campus.
It baffles my mind that on Tuesday I was outside running on mostly clear sidewalks, but less than 24 hours later, I was trudging through a mess of snow and underlying slush. Thankfully I had my rubber boots to help me keep from having very cold and wet toes. Those of you who wear the ugly Uggs, I can only hope you also wear thick socks.
I have decided that the weather is a tease. It gives us one beautiful day, allowing pet owners to take their dogs for a stroll and young children to play in the driveway. But then, in true tease form, the very next day, the dog and child alike are stuck with droopy eyes, staring out the frost-covered glass that is their living room window.
When I look back on my childhood, as if it was a great many years ago, I remember when the weather was predictable. Instead of the yo-yo effect, we had something more like the classic toboggan ride. The weather would march up the hill slowly, huffing and puffing as it went. Once it got to the top, though, it was all smiles. The following ride down the hill may have been short, but at least all of us watching the ride knew the outcome.
Now, you might as well toss a coin or shoot a dart to guess what the weather will be. I advise dressing in layers each day in the hopes that you may be able to shed even one article of clothing by the end of the day.
In all my life I have only quit one thing: chewing gum. And even at that, I did chew a piece after a three-year hiatus, so really, did I quit?
I feel that the times are a changing; I declare here and now that I officially am quitting Wisconsin weather. From now on, I will not even acknowledge its existence. Instead, I am going to control my sense of weather. This will take great mental willpower from me, but I am up for the challenge.
The way I see it, the (at moment) weather is so bad, I have nothing more exciting to do.
