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When God made Wisconsin he designed it
so that the weak would stay clear. In science
this process of natural elimination is referred to as the "Weeding
Out the Wuss Factor." Those who "get" Wisconsin, get the
snow. We do not cower from it. We do not whine about
it. We simply drink heavily and sing through the pain, much
like our Scandinavia, German and European
predecessors.
We celebrate the white
stuff. We are not the first to harness the snow, but we
are some of the best at enduring it with a smile. We create
ways to play with it, to tame it, to make it our very
own. Our skin is tough and our breath is like kerosene.
We fear not the flakes of snow.

In Wisconsin, the blaze orange hunter
coats and snow suits are adorned in church, in taverns, at parties,
or in our quick trip to the grocery store for eggs. It is
irrelevant to us that we may look funny, we know how to stay
warm. It is amusing to watch the visitors coming
here in their fancy leathers and furs. "Those fancy gloves you bought at Saks 5th Avenue in
NYC for $170 do not seem to be doing much next to these work gloves
I got at Fleet & Farm for $12.00!" This is especially
noticeable with the ladies. You either look chic in the
latest NYC fashion boots, or you keep all your toes and get a good
pair of winter lined boots. Fashion is for the one month of
summer. The rest of the time it is about common sense. Flannel
is heaven.
The Polar Bear Club is an
organization that challenges us to cut holes in the lake and swim. Often the
wind temperatures fall well below zero. It does not hinder us
from the challenge. A woman in Wisconsin is judged on looks,
yes, but her ability to retain heat and keep a man warm also plays
an important factor in our choosing of a mate. Many Wisconsin
men and women have opted for personality over
looks.
Our children are quickly
taught to assimilate. As the picture on the right shows, some
Mothers feel it is imparative to prep the baby in the womb.
After birth, we dress them up in little outfits and tie them to
sleds. We throw them in snowbanks and when they reach the age
of five they are treated to their first "face wash." Kids
learn quickly that is is not how funny the clothing looks, but how
well built it is to endure the wind and cold. Wisconsin
children are watched closely in their first few months of
growth.
If they do not frolic when
outside in the snow, we need to intervene. We are giving our
children life skills that will serve them well in their coming
years. We teach them to build forts in snow banks. We teach
them to make snowmen when they get lonely and need a friend.
We teach them to always let the "idiot kid" ride the saucer sled,
the smart kid opts for the control of the toboggan.
I love the kid looking over the mound as
his Father takes the leap! This is where the
rubber meets the road baby!
You do not understand cold until you
take this leap at least once in your life.
We tend to be big sturdy
folks. We will go dig a car or truck out of the snow despite
the fact that we can't drive anywhere just for the satisfaction of
the thing.
We will dig a hole in a
frozen lake and sit there for hours drinking schnapps hoping some
little pan fish might bite. We will celebrate that
victory like an Olympic distance runner and savor each morsel of
that pan fish while washing it down with a PBR and singing our own
praises.
We will join friends on
snowmobiles and see how many bars we can drink at in any given
afternoon.
My friends, we are a proud
and warm blooded people and the snow and winters are part of the
heritage that make us rich in spirit.
So stop making the "woman
sounds" and roll in it. Pick some up and eat it. Snow is your
friend!

![ccski[1].png](images/Img276.gif) 
![dead_snowman[1].jpg](images/Img383.jpg)
![humor_5881[1]1.png](images/Img410.gif)
![cj_37403[1].png](images/Img411.gif)

COLD
COLDER
![wb77frsp[1].png](images/Img421.gif) ![newenglandwinter[1].png](images/Img374.gif)
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