Posted by Aran Quick guide for anyone who finds themselves in small town Wisconsin. Anything less than a foot of snow and life will carry on as normal. It takes at least 18 inches to shut anything significant down. Keep that in mind when planning high risk explores.
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And then there's Texas...
Anything more than an inch of snow and all life in Texas will immediately come to a screeching halt. Schools will cancel classes and businesses will close. Drive at your own risk when there is
any amount of frozen precipitation in
any form
anywhere nearby as this will cause panic and mass chaos on the roadways. Any snowfall within a 50 mile radius will be all anyone will talk about for days - weeks even.
To put this in perspective for anyone up north, snow is a rare enough event here that I finally decided to google what tire chains looked like a couple years ago because I had never seen them before (come to think of it, I still haven't).
. . . . . Politics is never polite conversation, especially since Wisconsin is a swing state- and the party lines don't always follow the urban/rural divide here.
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If you're anywhere in Texas and lean left in regards to anything political, it's best to avoid this subject completely. The big cities are partial exceptions.., unless you happen to be in Austin where the opposite applies. If you still insist on getting political, do yourself a favor and don't bring up guns.
Speaking of guns, if you find yourself wandering around any part of rural Texas, don't be surprised when you hear gunshots. Texans
really like to hunt (which is something to keep in mind when exploring certain areas). If you happen to get caught on someone's property, don't be surprised if the owner is armed. If anything, this is more likely than not in the very rural areas. Just remember that even if you don't see a weapon, chances are, they're armed.
Here are a few more:
1. College football is sacred. Possibly even more so than professional football. Keep this in mind and tread very lightly should you choose to take on this subject. Football is up there with religion for most Texans.
2. If you own a pick-up truck and you want to blend in, you've just won half the battle. Throw in a hat (no, it doesn't have to be a cowboy hat, but nobody will think you're weird if that's what you choose), some jeans, some boots, and your golden. Yes, the stereotype is real.
3. Different parts of Texas have very different accents. Don't try to fake any of them because it won't work.
4. In addition to accents, there are some unique Texas colloquialisms that are commonplace. One of the most commonly used ones is; "
fixin'
to," which means someone is about to do something.
Fixin' is often paired with "
Y'all," in a question, as in, "
where are y'all fixin' to go?" or
what are "y'all fixin' to do?" The use of the word "
fixin'" in a conversation is a good indicator that you're in Texas or talking to someone from Texas.
5. "Sir," and "Ma'am" are frequently used, and in some situations, expected. It's usually a good idea to use these when addressing police and/or anyone in a position of authority (but don't overdo it).
6. And finally, "Texas friendliness," is a real thing! Texas is much like the rest of the south in how they interact with newcomers and strangers. They tend to be very polite (sometimes even overly so) and friendly, but they also tend to view some attitudes - most notably the more direct and/or detached variety - as curt or even rude. It is often believed that if someone doesn't make the time for niceties, they are up to no good and not to be trusted.