“With luck, it might even snow for us.”
Okay, I finally figured it out. The sun has gone on vacation somewhere warm and left us with gray skies and temperatures in the high 40’s, which really aren’t so bad, but it would nice to see the sun again.
Today I have a couple of errands to do so no lolling around for me. Yesterday I watched a few movies, took a short nap and was totally unproductive.
After Santa’s visit, Christmas vacation was always my least favorite when I was a kid. There was nothing to do unless there was snow or a new bike needing breaking in. It was just too cold to play around outside so mostly we played our new games inside, and I read my Christmas books. If there was snow, we were out all day and only came in when we were totally soaked and our lips had turned blue.
Our street was the best one around for sledding. It was a long hill. In those days, no salt was added to the roads so the hill always had a layer of snow. The first few sledders helped pack down that snow, and soon enough, the hill was perfect for a mouth dropping ride. Our sleds were the wooden ones, and the runners used to get a bit rusty over the summer so the first few runs down the hill had brown blade marks as the rust wore off in the wet snow. At the bottom of the hill was a street so we used try to stop before we’d cross the the street, but if the sledders at the bottom signaled no cars we’d let our sleds zoom across the street to the field. Then it was walk back up the hill holding the icy rope and dragging our sleds behind us. At the top of the hill, we’d hold the sleds on each side, quickly drop them to the ground then jump on them, stomachs down and feet in the air, to ride down the hill. Our feet were the brakes. We’d drag them to slow the sleds down.
Once we’d had our fill of sledding, we’d stick our sleds upright in the pile of snow left beside the front steps from my dad’s shoveling, and we walk around to the back to get into the house through the cellar. Our wet clothes went on the line. I remember my legs were red from the cold and my fingers were always stiff, but that never mattered. It was all about those slides down a really fast hill.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Holiday, Sled, Sledding, Snow, snowy hill
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December 27, 2011 at 12:26 pm
The sun took a detour to us before going south. It actually gives away some heat alöready?! I don’t think I’ve ever felt that this early before.
Our days were much the same as I remember it. But my sled had plastic skies so no rust on the snow after me 🙂 Otherwise I was at my best friends home playing games or cards. Every now and again his mother made us take a break so we could have some tea and sandwiches 🙂 I still remeber how the tea smelled and the taste of those sandwiches 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
December 27, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Christer,
It’s supposed to rain tonight, and there is a warning about heavy winds then the next few days will be seasonably cold. I guess it really is winter.
Plastic sleds came later than when I was a kid. They had the round pastic ones my sisters used to use on the grassy hill behind our house. It was much safer there-no danger from cars.
We played a lot of games on winter days too. I guess our good memories always stay the strongest.
December 27, 2011 at 1:02 pm
It’s sunny and cool here in the Dallas Ft. Worth area with a forecast high of sixty degrees. When I was a little kid in NYC I had a wooden sled with steel runners similar to the one you had. It was probably a newer version of “Rosebud” from the movie “Citizen Kane”. Our Street in Brooklyn had no slope and whenever it snowed my father would dig out the car and take me to a local park which had a nice hill. My mother would bundle me up with so much clothing that I couldn’t get my arms down and could never have gotten hurt. Once we moved to Texas the sled was relegated to the garage and along with the boots and snow suite were never used again.
The worst part of the snow is shoveling the stuff. I am always fascinated by native Texans who spend a fortune during the break between Christmas and New Years in Aspen or Vail skiing. I think if a person has never had to shovel out a driveway, then they can only think that snow is for fun. How many people do you know who retire to the snow belt?
This time of the year is always a let down. It reminds me of times in my youth when I woke up in the morning after a night of too much drinking next to a really nasty looking woman in the crux of my arm. Here in Texas that situation is called “Coyote Love”. (A Coyote will chew off his leg to free it from a trap) Soon it will be New Year’s Eve and the fun and drinking will start again. Hopefully, 2012 will result in awaking next to a beautiful woman who can fulfill every man’s dreams. At least we can hope.
December 27, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Bob,
Wow, 60°! I bet you’re right about our sleds resembling Rosebud. We were lucky having a grassy hill behind our house and a hilly street. When I was in high school, we used to go to the golf course with a toboggan. The hills there had us airborne sometimes. A bit dangerous but wonderfully exciting.
I hated to shovel, but I had no choice; however, now my plowman also does the walkway so I just sit and wait until he arrives. I have a really sloped driveway and I don’t generally use it except when a snowstorm is forecasted. I then park at the very top of the driveway which makes it easier to shovel out and then plow the area. If the snow is only a few inches, I can just drive my car over the pile left when the town plows.
After a night of drinking, I don’t do next mornings very well anymore.
December 27, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Hi Kat.
I’m still lolling about. 🙂
I have some projects to work on and some cleaning to do but none of that is time sensitive. I’m sort of projected-out after Christmas anyway. The post office is a probable, though, because I am expecting packages. 🙂
My sled was black with red runners. The yard was our hill. It sloped down to the swamp which was usually frozen over so we only had to avoid the trees.
I don’t remember being allowed to stay indoors very much during the winter. If it wasn’t a howling blizzard, we were sent outside to play. We ran around so much we probably never got a chance to get cold anyway.
Sometimes Duke (AKA My Mother the Dog) and I would take a nap in a snow hole on the sunny side of the apple tree. Sitting on a snow drift with my back to the sun was a great feeling, too.
But I still hate snow. 🙂
Enjoy the grey warmth.
December 27, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Hi Caryn,
I did get dressed and do my errands, but didn’t bother even to make my bed. Changing my bed is on tomorrow’s list!
I don’t remember any black sleds, but I also had red runners. My sled was wooden with only a logo on it. We also had a swamp but it was our ice skating spot. The middle had plenty of room for us to skate but in the back we had to avoid the trees too.
We used to go down to the cellar a lot to play. We were out of my mother’s way and could make all kinds of noise.
Really cold days made my mother crazy. She’d spend forever getting my sisters ready to go out then one of them wanted to pee or they’d be out only a little while before whining about being cold.
I loved the way the sun glinted off the snow almost blinding us when we were kids.
I hate snow too!
December 28, 2011 at 2:48 pm
I think snow was made for kids not adults. I was so happy when we moved out of Michigan. I thanked God!
December 28, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Z&Me,
Except for the adults who ski: they love the snow.
Snow is pretty as it is falling and just after. Other than that, I agree with you.
December 29, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Z&M
Where in Michigan? After this year, the prospect of snow is not good
December 28, 2011 at 6:34 pm
So I was rumbling around the Daily Telegraph culture section to be confronted with the news that Leonard Cohen is releasing a CD on January 31 called “Old Ideas”
Well, this was a chance for me to impress the Kataholics and their team leader so I shuffled off to Lenny’s website to be offered the opportunity to hear Mr Suzanne croak his way through “Show me the place”. Immediately confused, my reaction was “is this supposed to be pervy” ?….can’t be thinks I especially as Lenny is pictured sitting in the sun in a black suit and black hat holding a book.
So I will wait with anticipation to the reaction from Team-Kat and will accept criticism of my interpretation of this latest Lenny masterpiece.
December 28, 2011 at 9:26 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I am an early Leonard fan. His first album, in particular, is my favorite. Almost all of the songs I’ve posted have been from that album.
That does make me a fan, I admit, but I haven’t bought any new albums in years, but I will hunt this one down just to satisfy my curiosity.
December 29, 2011 at 7:04 am
A visit to http://www.leonardcohen.com will give you access to “show me the place”
December 29, 2011 at 11:04 am
My Dear Hedley,
I don’t even recognize his voice any more.
December 29, 2011 at 3:08 pm
So you are saying that its not great ?
December 29, 2011 at 4:24 pm
My Dear Hedley,
If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known who it was.