Winter in Michigan

When we first moved here we learned that the editor of the local paper in Fennville was a hard core independant sort of a guy. He was at least second generation from the area and while he had moved away and made a good living elsewhere, he came back home to own/edit the local paper. Thirty years ago I began writing for him and taking pictures of events around town. I always held any discussions with him off the record because I was teaching and he was either on the school board or was between terms. He was very opinionated about education.

He was also very opinionated about how government should act. We had a huge snow storm in 1978 and our county was declared a disaster area and his editorial comment was, "Why is snow in Michigan considered a disaster?" My first sense was to shake my head and think that there he goes again. But over time I used that thought and his phrase to try to frame lots of things that we tend to herd towards like so many sheep.

So when I begin to think badly about cold temperatures and snow (like many of us do) I remember Cliff when I say to myself, hey, this is Michigan and if we are going to like the other three seasons so much why not make the best of winter and like it too? What's the big deal about winter in Michigan?

Tonight we snuck down town for coffee...enjoying the newly re-done sections of Michigan and River Avenues...so wide and smooth. We dodged the snow patches and walked in the cold to JPs and drank a cup of free coffee (our punch card was full). We met an old colleague who had recently read my book and was delighted to see me to tell me how good she thought it was. Then out into the cold and on to the clear snow-melt sidewalks to prance around for ten minutes while we waited for Sinterklaas to ride down the street on a white horse declaring that it was in fact Christmas time. Yea, it was cold, but where else could you get so many memories going at once?

We took our time coming home and carefully crept into the garage so as not to slide too much in the ice buildup that is accumulating on the driveway....yea, I don't like the cold and bad driving conditions, but this is December in Michigan. What else can you expect?