Winter Weather Fun

We had our first major snow storm of the year on wednesday: It snowed about 9 inches over a 36 hour period. Now, that's not a huge amount of snow, but it's plenty to cover the roads and cause some havoc. It was also enough for me to take my cross country skis out for a go through a few of the parks in madison.
Now, as anyone who grew up in the Washington DC area knows, DC area natives are instilled with a natural fear of snow. If the forecasts mention more than an inch, then the supermarkets are cleared to the last can of spam, thousands of people buy 4-wheel drive SUV's, and the entire city closes down and prepares for armegeddon. It's great fun, as long as you don't have to go out into the weather.
So, because of my upbringing, I'm terrified of driving in snow. I love walking in the snow. I don't mind the cold weather. I love to ski, and the excuses to drink hot tea and chocolate, but I just can't face the daunting potential of skidding, or being skidding into. I think my greatest fear is driving along an interstate and not seeing a patch of black ice. The thought of skidding while driving 65 is just frightening.
However, the longer I live in this icebox of a state, the more I have to face the fact that I'll need to drive in the bad weather. Madison doesn't shut down for a few inches of snow. I can walk to many places, but I'm just going to need to get out in it every once in a while. You can learn how to avoid skids and slides, and if you get stuck, people are generally amazingly kind at pushing you out. I think it's part of what makes northerners so nice. They've all been stuck and will always need help. You Betcha!
Oh well, it' s just a bit of an adjustment. But for now, I'm off skiing!