Winter in Ann Arbor: igloos and snow angels

Gray skies, brown slush coating the sidewalks and the smell of soy sauce all remind me of winter in Ann Arbor.

I am originally from about 30 minutes outside of Ann Arbor and the winters never seemed nearly so dreary there.

 

Erin McQuinn Playing With Words

The University is in its own little bio-dome of torture - A2, better known as the frosty hell. The last time I remember there being this much snow was when I actually wanted it to snow - when I was little.

When you were little snow was fun. One year for Christmas my parents got my brother and me these big red snow brick packing rectangles, and ever since then I've had this strange fantasy of constructing my very own snow igloo.

Not a snow wall, but a snow igloo like the ones you used to see next to the letter "I" in your kindergarten classroom. When you were little, constructing a snow igloo was like having your own apartment, even though it was still in your front yard.

And while every kid on the block was busily at work molding that one perfect igloo, that kid would always bring up the idea that if you had a TV and some blankets you could spend the night. And for some strange reason, everyone always agreed.

This idea was always abandoned at about the same time that everyone's fingers went numb. The closest we ever actually got to this perfect snow igloo was a sideways snow mound that later collapsed on me.

But it wasn't like I ever even got that many chances to achieve my igloo utopia. Parents were the self-proclaimed snow experts. They saw that excited look in your eye when the ground was covered in white.

That look that only kids can get after a snow storm. Parents never felt that way because they knew the pain in the ass that snow really is.

They knew they would have to scrape their cars off and shovel the driveway only to then commute 30 minutes to work.

So they made up this thing about snow not being suitable enough to play in. "No, that igloo is just not going to work - it's not packing snow, go make a snow angel instead."

Snow angels had to be the least fun winter activity. They never even turned out right anyways. It was practically impossible to stand without putting a handprint right through that perfectly crafted angel wing.

The only other justifiable reason for it to snow is to get school cancelled. And since they can't cancel school at the University, snow has lost all purpose.

You don't even see saucers anymore. Have they gone the way of the slap bracelet? I haven't seen one since 1987. At least not the old school ones that had rope handles. Those were the best.

They were a lot better than those roll-up sleds. The sleds that never fully unrolled so you had to go down the hill in a big plastic curl until you finally wiped out halfway down anyways.

Sledding would never last that long since there was no chair-lift or tow-rope to bring you back up to the top. You'd always be bundled up to be sledding for the next 48 hours, but end up in a tired sweaty slump at the bottom of the hill after 20 minutes.

Building a snowman had to be the least exerting of all winter activities - so therefore it's the only thing that college kids will still do. Seeing the random snowman just chilling along South U. brings back memories of when snow was still fun.

When snow wasn't melted with sticky brown goo that smells like soy sauce. When you didn't have to walk a mile half-awake in two feet of snow only to find that your class has already been cancelled.

Winter in Ann Arbor can only possibly be remedied by our outrageously early spring break (the one that is only shared by random kids from Canada).

- Erin McQuinn can be reached via e-mail at emcquinn@umich.edu.