By Robin Mayes, Gallant Farm Educator
Like many people when they “get up in years,” I seem to start an inordinate number of sentences with, “When I was a kid … .” We often reflect back on the ‘Good Ol’Days’ and bore the younger generation with fond recollections of our past deprivations. But every so often I come up with some memories that my grandkids actually enjoy hearing about. Here are a few …
When I was a kid, it seemed like we had snow on the ground all winter long and could go sledding almost every day after school. We were fortunate enough to have two nice hills for sledding. One was in the pasture and so we sometimes had to dodge cowpies if the snow was scant. The second hill was usually reserved for the older kids because it was across the road and was much steeper, with a plowed field furrow at the end to give you an extra jolt!
It seems like snow accumulation was so common back then that it took some fairly severe weather for school to be canceled. I even remember snow drifts in the barnyard big enough to dig snow caves. When the snow was just right, we spent hours building fort walls and gathering an arsenal of snowball ammunition. Living in the country, we had few neighbor kids close enough to come over often, but I do remember one monumental snow battle when 3 or 4 kids from neighboring farms joined in. Even my big brother took part – and that was pretty rare, as he was usually too busy for kid-stuff since he had a car and an afterschool job.
My older sister, Joanne, was the best play companion a person could ask for, and she could do anything physical she put her mind to! Like everything else she did, her snowman-building skills were enviable. She did not make your run-of-the-mill three stacked balls of snow. Oh no! Her snowpeople had shapes and sculpted faces. As an adult I often tried to emulate her skill when building snowmen and forts with my kids … but usually to no avail.
Another winter pastime we enjoyed was ice skating, and sometimes cold spells lasted long enough for the Scioto River to freeze thick enough for skating parties. Dad would build a big bonfire on the bank and friends and neighbors would show up for the fun. I confess that although I adored ice skating, being on the river was always a bit of a worry for me. Scenes of falling through frozen rivers from movies like “The Great Houdini” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” were always playing in the back of my mind. It didn’t help that the river ice was always shifting somewhere with big, booming cracking sounds! As much as I loved imagining myself skating all the way up to Prospect or down to Columbus on the Scioto, I was never at ease on it, as I was skating on our farm pond.
Thinking back, I wonder at the fact that we always had ice skates to wear and sleds to enjoy. We were a frugal farm family in most respects, but Mom and Dad always thought the tools you need for fun were just about as important as those for work. And now, because I loved playing outside in winter, my kids and grandkids have all had no choice but to learn to love it too!
