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!

     COLD                                               COLDER