Mom sends

| November 25, 2008

My mother is always reminding me of my roots. Today she sent me this;

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Upstate New York.

If you’re proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights a year because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation, and Syracuse gets more snow than any other major city in the US, you might live in Upstate, NY.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from October through May, you might live in Upstate New York.


If you get 131 inches of snow in a week and you comment that ‘winter’s finally here’, you might live near Oswego in Upstate New York.

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year, you might live, bundled up, in Upstate New York.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don’t work there, you might live in Upstate NY.

If you have worn shorts and a parka on the same day, you might live in Upstate New York.

If you have had a lengthy phone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Upstate New York.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN:

“Vacation” means going South past Syracuse for the weekend.

You measure distance in hours.

You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

You often switch from “heat” to “A/C” in the same day and back again.

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.

You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.

You can identify a southern or eastern accent.

Down South to you means Corning.

Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.

You go out for a fish fry every Friday.

Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

You find 10 degrees “a little chilly.” and 55 is shorts weather.

Category: Politics

5 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Mike43

Not funny if you still live in the area.But true.I live off of Skaneateles Lake and am well aware of all the bad weather.As I get older(65) it’s rather bothersome these days.At least I can tell when it will rain or snow due to all the body aches.

Glenn M. Cassel AMH1(AW) USN RET

Just like North Central Montana along the HiLine from Cut Bank to Glasgow and Wolf Point. We don’t get the Lake effect snow but it does get downright cold. But since there are few reporting points no one knows about it. The first winter after I retired, I was back in Havre, the Hometown. We made the news in San Diego. My sister-in-law called us from Oceanside. She was freaking out over 44 below. I have seen 65 below. Pond Hockey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rochester_veteran

Great one, Jonn! This Western New Yorker relates to your post. We’ve had snow on the ground for over a week now, mostly due to lake effect flurries.

Cousin Scott

You knew I couldn’t pass on this! It’s all true and great! Well except for the 65 mph and not blinking that’s usually someone from Ohio that’s doesn’t see that much snow and of course no corners in the road. JUST KIDDING!! Glenn I stayed a night and Havre this past summer and had this conversation while there! When it snows a foot or two here we have scenery, you have to be snow blind! Nice country to visit not much to look at till Glacier National Park. As for my point of view the snow makes it a lot easier to spot the deer so we can shoot them instead of hitting them with the car!

Jonn wrote: Stop bragging about being able to hunt!

trackback

[…] “You might live in Upstate New York if…” (Clearly a North Country/Adirondack edition.) […]