Uff dah!

[Steven McGarthwaite]

Uff Dah! Yah it is cold, but us Minnesotans and Cheeseheads (Wisconsin) are use to this happening almost every years. At 10 A.M it is a -5 degrees F (Wind Chill is -15 degrees F). The 24 inches of snow fall over the weekend is now frozen solid, and drivers are learning how to use their battery cables to get their vehicles started (car batteries lose their cranking power as the temperatures drop). Mail Delivery was canceled this weekend, and hopefully the snowplows can start opening the side streets so we get mail delivery today.

Minnesota Vikings will not know, until late on Tuesday, if the Metro Dome's will be repaired in time for next Monday Night Football Game, when the Chicago Bears are scheduled to play the Vikings at the Metro Dome....

I and 62 years old, and I remember as a 8-year old walking to and from school twice each school day (had to go home for lunch) even in this type of weather. Back then there was no such thing as "Wind Chill Factor"! -5 degrees F, was -5 degrees F! If there was a snow fall over the night time hours, I had to walk the 9 blocks to school walking in the tire tracks of the "Milk Man's" truck!

We were dressed by our Mother for the weather, with a full set of long john underwear, beneath our corduroy pants, and wool flannel shirts. Snow Pants and Parka Hooded Winter Coat, with thick wool scarf wrapped over our face, and two sets of heavy wool mittens on our hands, and the buckled overshoes to protect our shoes and feet. It took us 10 minutes to get dressed to go outside.

There where no "School Closings" announcements on WCCO Radio (back then there was only AM, FM had not been invented yet!) until the National Weather Service said that the temperature was lower than -32 degrees F!

Some winters we got so much snow, that none of the snow ever melted until sometime in late March! The snow that was plowed from the roads, up on off the roads, would cause snow-piles on the side of the road that would bury the street signs at the street corners, where side street connected to the main road.

I remember my father having to get out the roof rake to pull snow off the roof, otherwise the weight of the snow would cause the roof to collapse, just like what just happen to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metro Dome!

......and when it was cold enough that there was a "Official School Closing" for our school on WCCO (AM) radio, we were so excited that we had a "Snow Day", we could not wait to go outside and go sledding down "Dead Man's Hill" on our Toboggan! ~Parnelli

PS: Minnesota's Vehicle License Plates have the motto "Land of 10,000 Lakes", I always felt that instead the License Plates motto should be,"Minnesota! The Land of Two Seasons!" (Winter's Coming, Winter's Here)!