Other ways you know you're in Wisconsin

1. Kids go to school when it's snowing. Not the case in my hometown of Atlanta this week. I remember being sent home a few times even when it might snow.


















2. State law requires the Packer flag to be flown above the Badger flag. (Both of these are of course tributes to Wisconsin's industrial laborers: the meat packers and the lead miners.)

Something you can only do in the North

As a child, I was a big fan of Charles Schulz's Peanuts. But as someone growing up in the Southeast, I was a bit baffled by the strips showing Snoopy and the kids playing ice hockey outdoors. What are they skating on? How come it's not melting?

Then, ten years ago, I moved to Minneapolis and finally experienced the DIY skating rink phenomenon for the first time. For those of you who grew up in Wisconsin or Minnesota or Toronto or other places in the humid continental/snowy winter climate zone (see the map below, courtesy of Wikipedia), this is just a normal part of growing up - for me, it's still pretty amazing. This is most certainly one of those things that makes Wisconsin and its climatic kindred spirits distinctive as places.

I'm especially in awe of those dedicated souls, like our elementary school principal, who get out there early in the morning on frigid days and make these rinks for us to enjoy. Wisconsin winters provide a good bit to complain about, to be sure, but it would be a shame to see this tradition disappear if certain climate models are accurate.