This is a scene of how the snow piled up at one residence in Republic during the pre-St. Patrick’s Day winter storm that rocked the entire Upper Peninsula in mid-March. (Photo courtesy Ashley Bark)

We are all wondering why it keeps snowing, and snowing, and SNOWING.

Even children are starting to dislike snow days, because now, instead of feeling like a break, they feel like a burden, with all the snow piling on top of the old layers of the white stuff.

The old record for snow in one storm in Marquette is 31.9 inches, and that was in 1997 — now the new record is 36.3 inches. The highest snow totals in our area for the snowstorm was at K.I. Sawyer with 54 inches. That is 4.5 feet of snow! Talk about snowed in!

That snow is about the same height as a 10- or 11-year-old child, too. Rumors even say that some stores were empty-shelved because people were stocking up on supplies, just as a chipmunk would do during winter, except now it’s closer to spring than winter, with the winter dragging along.

Talking about snow gives me the chills, so let’s move on to a topic that will soon be the talk of the town: ice cream and other cold treats, because hopefully summer will be here soon.

What’s your favorite cold snack for the summer? Ice cream, snow cones, smoothies, gelato, dirty snowballs — or something in contrast to that? (See what I did there?)

During the first of the snow days this school year, kids enjoyed stuff from video games to board games, maybe hanging out with friends (or getting an extended sleepover) — and much, much more.

But as winter trucked on, it started to feel less like a holiday, and more like an annoyance — students had to catch up on weeks’ worth of homework and lessons in just a few days. Teachers had to scrap some essentials from classes and cram lessons together, making this a lose-lose situation.

Now, we are six-ish days overboard on snow days, meaning we might even cut into Mother’s Day. Now, we don’t know exactly what will happen, but let’s hope a little more is forgiven — it will be easier for both the students and the teachers.

Here we are, and its now April — the last snow is supposed to be around early to mid May — and hopefully it wont be like the disastrous May, 1-2, 2023, storm when it was 25 inches of snow. That was record setting, but now maybe we will be safe in June, or will this last until next winter? Maybe we are entering another ice age.

Gus Talley is 12 years old, almost 13. He likes facts and has a broad palate. He is in the seventh grade at Bothwell Middle School and loves his cat Rusty, a feisty, classic orange cat. His hobbies include gaming, soccer, producing music and goofing off with his friends. Gus’ favorite food is cold — emphasis on cold — pumpkin pie. His favorite season is fall, favorite color ghost gold and favorite holiday Halloween. And Gus is also double-jointed in his thumb.