Welcome to Wisco!

Ahhhh, fall in Wisconsin. That’s what I used to say. It USED to be my favorite season. Well not anymore! I’m angry with fall this year! We’ve gone straight from summer to winter, after weeks and weeks of cold rain. I’ve always looked forward to fall. My birthday and wedding anniversary are both in September, so we’ve enjoyed the crisp air combined with sunshine radiating down. It’s like warm apple pie a la mode, but in the form of weather. Now it just feels like a Brussels sprout Popsicle. Gross.

Every thing is just so cold and wet! Do you have any idea what it’s like to constantly be wiping off muddy dog paws, or vacuuming up tiny, damp leaves from everywhere in your house? The mud cakes onto our 100 pound lab, Jace, and the wet leaves stick to Star, our twelve pound Malti-Poo. Just the other morning I rolled over to tell my husband good morning. I was greeted with a smile and a leaf stuck to his face. Star’s cute, but she best be keeping her dirty little paws off my man!

Don’t even get me started on the weather for high school football this year. We started the season with muggy temps in the 80’s for Friday night games. September 20th I was dripping in sweat; I mean dripping! Not like a leaky faucet that slowly makes that eerie “drip, drip, drip” all night, so you just close the door and ignore it. Nope, not that cute drip. You know that scene in the The Notebook where they’re standing in the rain and Ryan Gosling passionately says, “I wrote you for a year”? Well it was kind of like that. Kind of. I mean, my clothes were soaked and my hair was dripping wet just like Rachel McAdams. But Ryan Gosling wasn’t telling me, “It’s still not over,” and swooping me up to kiss me. Instead, I had to go home and peel my own clothes off before getting into the shower. Like I said, similar, just not as sexy.

Fast forward to playoff games November 8. No. More. Sweat. Instead, I look like I’m ready to go ice fishing in the frozen tundra. Dressed in layers upon layers in the bleachers, I can barely recognize anyone around me. All I see is very little of faces, just eyes peering back. Everyone looks like turtles pulled into their snowsuit shells. Purchasing 40 hand and foot warmers for the high school dance team was my good deed for the day, and they appreciated my attempt at keeping their pom-holding appendages from turning into tiny icicles. We made it to the end of the game, but my son, Evan, said he couldn’t feel his feet anymore. The toe warmers had failed us! We scooted our frozen feet out to the truck with our snow pants making that “swish, swish, swish” sound with every step. With my eyelashes frozen and my fingers numb, we crabbily climbed into the truck where Evan turned the heat to 90. His plan was to thaw out in 30 seconds. His plan failed.

So what do I have to look forward to this fall in Wisconsin? Oh there’s still plenty of good. I’ve still got warm, fuzzy sweaters and cute fall boots. There are warm drinks like lattes and mochas, topped with whipped cream and caramel, of course. Family and friends gather in family rooms for Wisconsin Badger football games where we eat spreads of snacks and help ourselves to bloody Mary bars. Just because I’m cold doesn’t mean I shouldn’t enjoy this time of year. I just need to pack my negativity into a tiny little bottle and send it out to sea, or lake, as we have so many in the Midwest. Oh wait, those lakes are already frozen over. I guess I’ll just move right into winter and put my Christmas tree up early. Bring on the fireplace, pizza, and movie nights! Anyone want to watch The Notebook?