December reminds me of belly-flopping when I was among the nine pupils who attended the Putnam country school during the nineteen-fifties. We brought our sleds to school and at recess time slid down the road in front of the building. It was a long trek to the top but the ride down was worth it. There were only three farms on the two-mile stretch of gravel road so there was rarely any traffic to be concerned about. The local drivers were aware the kids might be sliding on the road so they came over the hill cautiously.
I had a big, Flexible Flyer sled. We three girls piled up on it–Mary Ann, the oldest of us, laid on her stomach on the bottom, I was in the middle and Sandy, the youngest, on top. As we shoved off, Mary Ann called, “Bumpers up,” which meant bend your knees. I still have a scar on my left shin because one of the boys didn’t steer straight and clipped my leg with the metal point on the front of his sled.
We each walked to school so we were dressed for the weather–snow pants, jacket, scarf, hat, mittens and boots. While we were outside, our mittens usually got wet from the snow. We dried them by laying them on the top of the oil burner that heated the school room.
That first snow fall was eagerly greeted by us, kids. Winter weather brought new games for us to play, “Fox and Goose,” snowball fights and building snowmen.
It brought all sorts of problems for our farmer parents. Pipes and animal waterers froze up often requiring paying a plumber to get the system working again. Ice made walking treacherous for animals and people.
What memories do you have as a child playing in the snow?