So we have a large snow forecast, and I was thinking about the last time I went sledding.
I was dating, so it was long, long time ago. My soon-to-be husband built a big bonfire on the hill near Uncle Bill's driveway and invited all of his friends, family, and neighbors.
This was January 1982. I think up until this year, that was the coldest January on record.
Anyway, back to the party. Soon we were all gathered on the hill, roasting marshmallows and drinking beer and hot chocolate (hopefully not at the same time). People produced sleds from everywhere and they went racing down the slope. This was a hay field so there were no frozen cow pies to worry with, no ditches, and no rocks. Just a nice, fast run.
James tied a big car hood on the back of his tractor, and as people went down, they would pile on the car hood and he would roar back up, pulling them and their sleds behind.
I remember much laughter, lots of shouting, and giggles. I remember the cold air racing down the nape of my neck as I rode behind James when we took our turn on the sled run. Whoosh! He held me tight, keeping me safe, and I expect I fell more in love with him then, if that was possible.
By the next Christmas, I was married. It may not have snowed much, I can't recall. In fact, I recall some snows in the 1980s but the next big snow that stands out in my mind didn't happen until 1993. By then I was too out of shape for sledding, and our old friends were married and scattered to the winds.
Youth - so glorious when you're living it, and you're too young to appreciate it.
These days the only sleighing I would consider would be the one-horse kind, or a ride in the cab of the tractor with the husband.
What a lovely story! One thing about having kids later in life is they keep me young. I've been sledding and ice skating with them. It's a little harder on the ol' body but it's fun acting like a kid again. I totally agree with your sentiment on youth. Thanks for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteI'm too old and my back too fragile for sledding. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't LIKE to go!
ReplyDeleteThe last time I was sledding was senior year in college. We had a big snow storm and a bunch of friends and I borrowed trays from the dining room and spent a good hour or so on a nearby hill. Best study break ever! Growing up, we had a really steep hill behind us that all the neighbor kids used. There was also a nice skating pond. Alas, that hill is no more, as it was razed during a county safety project of the adjacent highway. Now I live in a neighborhood wit two nice sledding hills. I keep telling my sister to bring my niece up, but she never does.
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