Winter play

We were always outside playing when we were kids, regardless of the season and temperatures. And when it snowed? Oh wow, snow was a major bonus! We could always find something to do when there was no school - yeah buddy!


Some of us didn't have sleds (and how we improvised is another story) but other neighborhood kids did and sometimes they shared, so snow on the ground meant sledding on the streets. They didn't plow as often or as quickly then as they do now so streets were snowy longer, there was less traffic, and it was somewhat safer. Later on, when we lived out in the country in VA, a whole gang of us would get together to sled on the empty country road. One set of parents would build a huge fire in their driveway where we could stop on the way back up the hill for some warm-up and hot chocolate. Fun times!

You couldn't have snow without building a big ol' fat snowman, but not too fat 'cause then we couldn't lift the second ball on top of the bottom one. Getting the head up on top without breaking it was always a challenge too. We'd scrounge around looking for sticks for arms and rocks for buttons and someone could always manage to swipe borrow a carrot from their fridge and a hat or scarf from their coat closet to gussy up our snowy dude.

'Course a good ol' snowball fight was always in order. It was usually a case of the girls against the boys and we'd all build our separate piles of snowball ammunition, find something to hide behind, and let the battle begin!

Sometimes fun could be something as simple as making snow angels or

simply catching snowflakes on your tongue (but not sticking your tongue on an iron railing or lampost!)
As a teenager, I tried ice skating but never became very accomplished at it. Never quite got that skimpy little skirt on the ice thing either. I wanted to be covered on that cold stuff, because

a good bit of my time was spent on that well-covered derriere. I decided then that I must have had the weakest ankles in the world and maybe ice-skating wasn't my best form of recreation. But it was fun at the time.


When we finally got too wet or too cold, we'd go inside, get dry and play games where it was nice and warm.


Or, even find a good book to read. Everything was fun when there was no school.

I'm glad I have good, fun memories of wintertime play, both as a kid myself and with mine and the grands. But, that was then. Now I'm not terribly enamored of doing anything in the cold for any length of time.

Now my idea of winter joy is curling up in front of a cozy fire with a hot cuppa and some good TV. I'll leave playing in the snow to the younger crowd.

Unless, of course, a little grand should happen to show up. Then I just might be talked into making an exception or two. :)