Wisconsin Welcomes You

What is my hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin famous for? Well, there's the Sheboygan Burger, which is basically a brat and hamburger in one. "Sheboyganites" love their brats. Me? I'm more of a hamburger type of girl.

Anyway, back on track. What else is Sheboygan famous for? Dairy land, cows, cheese, at one time having the largest flagpole, surfing on Lake Michigan...and the list goes on.

Perhaps the most prominent aspect, in my opinion, anyway which Sheboygan is famous for...is its weather. It's probably no secret to you that Wisconsin is a generally cold state, and you'd be right. This year has been a strange one. While working at the local library I had to sort the new newspapers and discard the old ones. Emblazoned on the front of one such paper was the headline "A Year Without Summer". I think that about sums it up. I don't know about where you live, but in Sheboygan, it felt like summer decided to finally roll out the carpet in August, leaving May through July abnormally chilly. I only made it down to the beach three times, each trip feeling as if I was walking straight into a huge liquid freezer, and the door would slam shut on me at anytime. But, wanting to make the chilly days feel like summer, I braved it.

Looking back on my scarce summer it makes me wonder what Fall will bring in Sheboygan, and Wisconsin as a whole. Last Fall the colors were only muted shades of the usually flamboyant colors that paint themselves across the countryside. It was a disappointing year. Plus the winds had picked up a lot, which blew most of the leaves off, leaving the trees barren and their beautiful coats of color scattered on the floor.

While I'm looking back at Sheboygan's weather, I might as well bring up the infamous winter we had. Actually it would be two winter's ago, when my hometown was buried in a dense layer of white as if someone were spreading too much frosting on the earth. I can't remember any other winter when we had so much snow. Or for that matter remember how many snow days I had. Now, don't get me wrong, no amount of snow Sheboygan gets can compare to what my parents' home state of Upper Michigan gets. If there ever was a definition for wintertime, Michigan would be it.

This past winter seemed to be trying to out do it's predecessor, but failed. Albeit we undeniably received more snow than normal, it wasn't as bad as before. Which I was grateful for. I'll admit, living in Wisconsin my whole life I've grown to love snow. Whether it was by my own hand, or nature's, is left to be determined. Or perhaps it's my writer's eye which I look through at nature, that is the cause for this love. There's something about the way the world looks when its draped in that sparkling, pristine, uniform blanket of white. As if everything is wiped clean of its imperfections, as if nature is closing its eyes and drifting off to sleep beneath the thick snow that falls. Have you ever listened to the world as snow is falling, or after a snow storm? Everything seems quieter, and muted. That's what I love most about winter. It's beauty.

Invariably, with every season comes new hazards. Winter is the time of year in Sheboygan when driver's who are clueless, become ever more clueless. It's no doubt that accidents can happen in any season, for any reason, but in the wintertime? That chance spirals through the roof. You'd think living in Sheboygan all their lives people would be able to remember how to drive in snow. Sadly, this is not true for a lot of people. Which is probably why my brother - who is two years younger than me - loves driving in the wintertime, and my Mom....hates it. Granted, my Mom's always been a cautious driver and my brother, well, he's had his license a year, has a fast car...you know where this is going right?

As for me, I don't drive yet, so I don't worry about things like that. Okay, so that's not totally true. We should all be concerned about other driver's around us, if only for our own safety and that of others.

So, you might ask, what is the point of all of this? So Wisconsin has the potential for severe winters, is famous for its brats and unpredictable weather, and has a crop of unintelligent drivers that only come out during one season...so does every other state. That would be true, yes, but let me point out that I could say in Wisconsin, if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change. But the truth is, everybody says that about their state, and thinks it's synonymous with it. I guess each of America's states are more alike than people realize, weather wise and with other aspects as well.

In closing, all I can say is, whenever you see the old-fashioned wooden sign shaped into Wisconsin with "Wisconsin Welcomes You" emblazoned on its facade...keep in mind what I wrote about.