SNOW, Chapter 3: I Really Had No Idea

Guess what?

It's snowing.

I remember as a teacher, if it would start snowing during the school day, and a student or I happened to mention it to the class, it was REALLY difficult to keep the kids from running over to the windows to check it out. First question, ALWAYS was "Do you think we'll get out early?"

If my son read that, he would be sad, because we are quickly approaching 200 inches of snow for the season, and he has gotten out of school a total of 1 and 1/2 days so far this year.

I really had no idea.

I knew there would be this much snow.  After all, Yoopers wear their winter experiences like a badge of honor.  And you can't blame them.

There are two things I had no idea about.  One is that, unlike Iowa, where 6 inches of snow is an event worthy of a day off from school, six inches here is a light snowfall, to be repeated often, often daily.  If schools closed every time that happened, there would NEVER be school in the winter. The only thing that seems to close school here is if the wind picks up.  Because unlike the heavy-have-a-heart-attack-if-you-shovel-it snow that is common in Iowa, UP snow is always light and fluffy and when a logging truck passes you on the road, it kicks up and creates a white out even on a calm day. When you add 30 mph winds, the landscape, ditches, and finally the road disappears into a silent wall of white...scary.

The rest of the time, people here are ready for the daily occurrence.  Four wheel drive is the norm. They carry emergency items in their cars: mittens, gloves, hats, coats, boots, blankets, sleeping bags, shovels, sand, salt, and kitty litter...for starters. I'm sure it's not out of line for them to also have snow suits, snowshoes, ski poles, crampons, emergency rations, fire starting materials, firearms, fishing poles, and a pop up hunting/ice fishing/blind/tent/shelter. You just never know

And what makes that amusing to this ex-Iowa girl is this...if you have to drive in the winter, I will take UP roads over Iowa's any day of the week.

Part of it is the climate.  I haven't seen evil black ice here, or snow turned to glare ice.  On the lesser used roads, I haven't seen anything but white all winter.  It forms a base, that, surprisingly (to me, anyway) is easy and relatively safe to drive on.  The highways, on the other hand are, well, frankly, miraculous.

I can only speak about the county in which I live and work.  And I would recommend it in the winter to anyone.  Ontonagon road commission folks work tirelessly to keep the highways open and safe. They work constantly on Military Hill, which would be a terrifying drive otherwise, and it is only a matter of time after each snowfall (daily) before the road is clear and dry. And as a total perk of living here, after they get the roads under control, they will plow driveways and lanes to people's houses and camps.

We have a small lane.  The first time I saw the HUGE county truck blast down it with the blade down, I was amazed at the speed and accuracy at which she (very cool to see a woman in a big truck!) cleared the driveway.

So, all of that is one thing I didn't expect.  Nothing shuts down here in the winter. Work, and school, and many, many winter activities go on, no matter what.  No wonder Yoopers wear it like a badge. They deserve an award. They are the masters of winter.

The other thing I didn't realize is WHY. I knew before I moved to the UP that springs and summers here are a wonder of forests and lakes and mountains and sky and birds and fresh air.  Now I know the secret.  Winters are even more of all those things. Every day and every day and every day when I go outside I gasp in wonder at the beauty of my world here.  Sunny days, cloudy days, bright days and dark days, they all have their own appeal.  As far as cold goes...it's doable.  After all, you can always find warm clothes and heaters and boots and gloves and hats and fires and shelter....and snow plows.  So it's infinitely possible to see and enjoy:

The awesomeness of the unique snow that sticks to every surface of every tree and bush.

It looks beautiful when it's all one type of trees, like these evergreens

or many types of trees all jumbled together

close up

or as far as the eye can see

even if it's hard to see, because of the snow that's currently snowing :)

The blues of a great lake as it turns so slowly to ice.

for fans of bright blue, I hope you find this color beautiful, too

no polar bears

I don't have a caption that says how beautiful I think this is

The silent peace of a daily snowing.

an actual snow day

because the snow was falling sideways

The blinding brightness of a sunny day.

these moments don't last long

today's plowing of snow

The luminous light of a short dark day.

this was a while ago...days are already much longer and brighter

but wow

short days have their own appeal

The ever present life force of winter hungry birds.

even in a sideways snowstorm, little birds gotta eat

just keep your head to the wind...

and make sure to wear your best down coat

Mr. House Sparrow is a giant compared to these common redpolls

and one of these things is not like the other in this picture, too.

The fragile relationships between prey and predators.

bald eagle: 1

goose: zero

we're not afraid of no stinkin' eagles

and my camouflage makes me virtually invisible

Today, I even saw some signs of spring:

mister downy woodpecker flashing his valentine colored head spot to catch someone's attention

and mister redpoll decked out in his brightest red vest, showing off his studly physique

sharing a suet lunch (they NEVER share) as he checks out a cute girl

The point is...life goes on.  In more ways you can imagine, even under twelve feet of fluffy white snow. The world is an amazing place. Amen.

And.

Guess what?

It's snowing.