It seemed to snow a lot more when I was a kid. Seemed like every year it would snow a ton and we would go sledding on streets packed with snow. We used real sleds too, with metal runners, none of this plastic stuff that the kids use today. We would tie our sleds together. My sister would ride on my back. We would jump our sleds off over retaining walls and then lie to my Dad about how they got broken. We made snow men that were taller than we were. We made forts and had snow ball fights. We would skate down the driveway in our black rubber galoshes. Once I did it backwards, slipped and fell and broke my nose. There was always a ton of snow, but it was never that cold.
Then I grew up, and other than the winters of 77-78 and 78-79, it didn't snow much. Until this year. First blizzard in 20 years. Stuck in the single digits for two weeks. Ugg.
I used to tell my kids about how much snow we got when I was little. Now I can show them. It is pretty, but it is cold. I think I am going to throw a party when spring gets here.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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Those were the "good 'ol days" for sure. I remember one evening in particular back in the 60s (yes, I know I'm older than you) when a bunch of the neighbors went with us kids sledding. My dad pulled me and my sister on our sled (with the metal runners) to the biggest hill (street) around. We had so much fun. Back then we could also burn stuff, so the dads built a fire in one of the 55 gallon trash barrels and we all stood around it to keep warm and drank hot chocolate out of thermoses. But, like you, I had to ruin it for some of us. On the way home, I decided to throw my sled down and dive on to it one more time. Unfortunately, my sled hit a patch of gravel and it stopped but I didn't. I hit my mouth on the metal part on the front of the sled--tore the gums above my two front teeth. Next stop was the ER.
One note about the old sleds--if the snow was too deep, they were worthless. The new "improved" plastic things sit right on top of the deepest snow.
Okay, I'm done. ; )
I still have my wooden sled with the metal runners. Out of the four of us kids I'm the only one left that still has one. But that would be because I wasn't really all that excited about sledding and it didn't get used as much. We lived in a subdivision where our backyard went uphill and the yard behind us went obviously down with a berm between the two. We'd start in their yard and jump the berm. You'd fly a good 6 to 10 feet depending on your size. It now hangs in my garage. Cait has asked a couple of times to use it but she's destroyed so many of the ones I've gotten for her that I can't seem to give her the permission to use it even though I know I'll never use it again. It's a small link to my childhood that I'm not ready to part with yet.
Tonia
Seems I wasn't done...
Since you may not be sledding because of the frigid temperatures, something else that I find fun to do while there is snow on the ground is to observe all the tracks in it. All those little creatures that have to actually live out there, make some pretty cool tracks. I especially like the tracks going across the lake. Nothing messes up the snow on the lake but creatures and wind. It's so cool.
But then there are the big-shoe scary tracks--the ones that lead right up to the most secluded entry door to your house. I found some the other night when I stepped outside to get some firewood. I literally stopped in MY tracks. I think my heart may have even skipped a beat or two--until I realized that the electric meter is mounted on the house right there next to the door. Whew!!
Snow can be fun. Hey, how about when it gets a little warmer, and the snow's just right, we call go up to WCC and have a snowman building contest? Or not...
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
I just finished shoveling the drive again - forgot about sweating and being cold at the same time.
After I finished, I was reading an email from my son, that teaches at Buffalo U and The Rochester Institute of Technology. The following is a web site of snowflake pictures that the students did on 1/5. It reminds me of God's beauty in everything - and now I am warm again.
PS - I still have my runner sled that I received for Christmas when I was 8
http://biomed.rit.edu
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