Watching it snow...
...Large fluffy snowflakes began to fill the air as I listened to the weather report that told about the snow flurries to be expected. Snowflake Bentley would be proud. These flakes were huge and feathery. Mother Goose was definitely shaking out her feather duster. I love the clean smell of fresh snow. The snow shoveling Olympics has begun here in Ohio. We haven't been hit with the predicted nor'easter that has been forecast for the north eastern parts of the country, but we do have more than our fair share of snow.
After all these years I still want to get out and play in the snow, but all my friends have gotten old and infirmed, leaving me with no one to join me in the frozen fun. A few weeks ago I heard a news report that told about some towns having outlawed sled riding. It makes one wonder how so many of us survived our childhood. Sled riding lethal, who would have thought?!!! Hearing that report stirred the memories of how my dad took my cousins and me to a well-known hillside in Akron for sled riding. A bazillion other people were on location with the same idea of the frosty thrill of racing down the snow-covered hillside. There were so many people there that we oftentimes had to wait for a free turn to ride our sleds to the bottom of the hill. The walk up the hill was long enough that it made sure not too many people took off downhill at the same time. One had to keep alert on the walk up to be sure of being out of the way of the other sleds whizzing by. We never had an injury in all those chilly rides. Once I did witness a terrible accident at that site. At the bottom of the hill was a cement bridge. It usually took someone with more weight to create the momentum to get as far as the bridge and slide across its snowy top. It was considered quite the accomplishment to have gotten one's sled to get that far. One day as I was walking back ;up the hill with my sled, a guy went flying by me on his sled with the speed it too to make the bridge experience. As I turned to see him, what I saw was shocking. The rider had miscalculated his pathway. He did not fly over the bridge. What he did do was hit the side abutment of the bridge. It wasn't a pretty picture for sure. But did anyone pass a law stopping sled riding in Akron? No one would have even considered such a thing. I was a kid when that incident happened. No one told me how that guy was after his accident. As an adult I realize that he could have died from the head injury he suffered, or worse yet, he could have been paralyzed or become a vegetable for the rest of his life. Sad as that was, I still would not have passed a law banning sled riding in Akron. Sled riding requires some skill on the rider's part. Skiing isn't banned because of accidents. As much as I hate the thought of wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle, I guess I would do it these days. And though I hate the thought of wearing a helmet to ride a sled, I guess I would consider it as well.
I still like snow in spite of scary things that can happen during the season of great flakes. Even though I might just get pneumonia from making snow angels I will risk that for the low tech fun it has always been. I plan to do it before there is legislation barring the practice of making snow angels. It is a non-threatening level from which to watch it snow, and rebel that I am, I even plan to stick my tongue out and catch a few of those fluffy white flakes, toxic or not...
After all these years I still want to get out and play in the snow, but all my friends have gotten old and infirmed, leaving me with no one to join me in the frozen fun. A few weeks ago I heard a news report that told about some towns having outlawed sled riding. It makes one wonder how so many of us survived our childhood. Sled riding lethal, who would have thought?!!! Hearing that report stirred the memories of how my dad took my cousins and me to a well-known hillside in Akron for sled riding. A bazillion other people were on location with the same idea of the frosty thrill of racing down the snow-covered hillside. There were so many people there that we oftentimes had to wait for a free turn to ride our sleds to the bottom of the hill. The walk up the hill was long enough that it made sure not too many people took off downhill at the same time. One had to keep alert on the walk up to be sure of being out of the way of the other sleds whizzing by. We never had an injury in all those chilly rides. Once I did witness a terrible accident at that site. At the bottom of the hill was a cement bridge. It usually took someone with more weight to create the momentum to get as far as the bridge and slide across its snowy top. It was considered quite the accomplishment to have gotten one's sled to get that far. One day as I was walking back ;up the hill with my sled, a guy went flying by me on his sled with the speed it too to make the bridge experience. As I turned to see him, what I saw was shocking. The rider had miscalculated his pathway. He did not fly over the bridge. What he did do was hit the side abutment of the bridge. It wasn't a pretty picture for sure. But did anyone pass a law stopping sled riding in Akron? No one would have even considered such a thing. I was a kid when that incident happened. No one told me how that guy was after his accident. As an adult I realize that he could have died from the head injury he suffered, or worse yet, he could have been paralyzed or become a vegetable for the rest of his life. Sad as that was, I still would not have passed a law banning sled riding in Akron. Sled riding requires some skill on the rider's part. Skiing isn't banned because of accidents. As much as I hate the thought of wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle, I guess I would do it these days. And though I hate the thought of wearing a helmet to ride a sled, I guess I would consider it as well.
I still like snow in spite of scary things that can happen during the season of great flakes. Even though I might just get pneumonia from making snow angels I will risk that for the low tech fun it has always been. I plan to do it before there is legislation barring the practice of making snow angels. It is a non-threatening level from which to watch it snow, and rebel that I am, I even plan to stick my tongue out and catch a few of those fluffy white flakes, toxic or not...
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