I have a confession...I love snow! The picture above was taken near my house two years ago, and it really makes me sad that we have not seen that kind of snow in two years. Of course, we have had some warm days that were nice, but what in the world is winter for? The answer is obviously SNOW! For those of you like me, you need several days of colder temperatures to lessen the severity of spring allergies. You also need colder temperatures so that we just might get out of school (yes, teachers like snow days, too!). One of my favorite winter activities is bundling up everyone (that takes a while) and going outside to tackle the hill with our sled. A few years ago, we tried using a plastic toybox lid since we never could remember to buy a sled. Let me just say, that lid worked wonderfully--until little Mallory gained so much speed that she went over the back into the creek! Fortunately, she was saved from the icy water by a few trees that stopped her progress! Now, the kids have learned how to jump off the sled if they are heading for the treacherous creek at the bottom of the hill. IF we ever have enough snow to sled this year, it will be interesting to see how our crazy puppy (who weighs more than Mallory) will react since she already thinks Reece and Mallory are her personal chew toys!
Enough from me--you want extra credit. So, here is your chance. Tell me about a specific snow adventure you have had that either turned out great or not-so-much. Dig around in your memory bank to see what's there. Then, type a 4-6 WELL-WRITTEN summary of what happened to make it something you will never forget--good or bad :) Post your excellent response no later than 4:00 on Friday, February 1.
The most fun I've ever had in the snow happened in my seventh grade year at my friend Lesley Anne's house. Their backyard is nothing but a delightfully steep hill, so choosing to sled there was obvious. She took the front, I climbed in behind her, and we set off from the very top of the precarious slope. One moment we were laughing as the exhilarating speed whipped the snow in our faces, and the next we were literally soaring through the air. We landed side by side in a heap of snow, slowly glanced at each other, and burst out laughing. Turning to investigate what had just happened, we discovered their sewer grate sticking out of the hill at an angle. In the end, we actually started a competition between us and our younger brothers to see who could go the highest and farthest off the ramp.
ReplyDeleteOne blistering cold afternoon on a snow day, my sister and I decided we were going to go outside and play in the snow. In deciding to do so, I layered up my clothing and put on a pair of my favorite American Eagle sweat pants on to stay warm. After hearing we wanted to play in the snow, my dad decided he would join in on the fun, too. Having already made up my mind to sled, my dad agreed to help me by giving me some encouragement by pushing me down our big hill in the back yard. Due to the heavy push, I fell off of my sled and immediately felt the cold snow all over my legs. After understanding that my leg was getting colder, I looked down to find that my favorite sweat pants were ripped! My dad and sister found humor in it and began to laugh at the gaping hole on the side of my leg. Embarrassed and freezing, I ran into the house and changed into another warm pair of sweat pants. Needless to say, that was the end of my sledding for the day!
ReplyDeleteThe best snow adventure I have ever had happened when I was in about third grade. My next door neighbor and I were playing in his backyard. We were enjoying the snow when we came up with the grand idea to get our sleds and sled down a hill that was near our houses. One other thing about this hill, there is a very large creek at the bottom that had frozen completely over that year. Without any hesitation or thought, we both grabbed our sleds and headed to the hill. I was the first to go down this hill. I zipped down the hill and right before I got to the creek, I purposely crashed into some thick, powdery snow. Next it was my friend's turn. He zipped down the hill as well but instead of purposely crashing, he went straight onto the frozen ice of the creek. I laughed as I watched him trying to stand up on the ice but my laughing stopped when I heard a loud "CRACK". We made eye contact for about a half a second and then he disappeared into icy water. I ran to where he was and grabbed his hand. I helped pull him out of the water and we stood there wondering if we should tell our parents. We were not supposed to be sledding down that hill alone. Needless to say, we both got whipped pretty good. At the time, it was not funny but looking back, it is a very funny story that I will remember always.
ReplyDeleteThe best snow adventure I ever had was when my bulldog Toby randomly ran off. My family and I bolted after him with a leash in hand. We ended up running all around the neighborhood to catch him. We were all exhausted after this due to all the extra weight we had in coats, cover-alls, and other heavy winter apparel. Since that day , whenever Toby goes out, he always has his leash on no matter what.
ReplyDeleteOriginally being from New England, snow adventures are my best childhood memories. Several winter days I would wake up with feet and feet of snow on the ground. One year when we had about three and a half feet of snow, we were visiting my grandparent's house that was about an hour away. My dad was busy shoveling the driveway and I was fooling around with my brother and having a snowball fight. One of us got the crazy idea to slide off the roof of their garage-a separate building from their house- and into the piles of snow underneath. We rigged a contraption that allowed us to pull ourselves up to the roof from a rope connected to the other side. We spent all afternoon sliding down the roof and fifteen feet into the fluffy-ness below. It is one of my favorite snow memories.
ReplyDeleteWinter is my favorite season, and I absolutely love the snow! Two years ago, I was at my my Nana's house during a snow storm. My siblings, cousins, and I were all out of school, so we decided to go sledding down the huge hill by my Nana's. Two of my younger sisters, Isabella and Teygan, refused to sled claiming it was too scary. After about an hour of reassurance, we finally convinced them to sled down the hill. I put them together in a sled and gave them a big push. Next thing I knew, I was watching my five and three year old sisters slamming straight into an oak tree! They both flew out of the sled, and we ended up with a couple bloody noses. To this day, I'm still blamed for their fear of snow.
ReplyDeleteI, personally, do not think there is any point in it being cold unless it snows. When it does snow, my cousins come over to our house, and we find plenty of things to do in the snow. A few years ago, the roads in our neighborhood were completely covered with snow and ice. We had not seen a single car drive by all day, so many neighborhood kids were driving their four-wheelers around with sleds attached. My family, not having a four-wheeler, found an alternative. My uncle drove his lawnmower over to our house, and we attached our sleds to the back of it. He then preceded to drive us around the neighborhood with his lawnmower. We were passed by many four-wheelers, but we still had a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago when I was a young lad, Tennessee had probably around five inches of snow. It was the biggest snow i had ever seen, so i was very giddy. It was the best day ever because we played all day in the snow! That night my father, brother, and I started building an igloo! It took us quite a whilebut it was so worth it. When we were finally finished we all got in and took a picture to capture our amazing sculpture and the fun time we had. I love playing in the snow because its so rare that we get any. That day was the best snow day ever!
ReplyDeleteI don't know where we were, but my brother and I were in the woods. It was snowing hard, and the wind was biting at our cheeks. There were icicle daggers hanging from the trees, and the snow was being blown up into deep drifts. As Jon and I trudged our way through the woods, we suddenly heard howling in the not distant enough distance. We decided to try and quicken our pace, but suddenly, we fell through the snow. It had only looked to be a few feet deep, but the drift had disguised a deep furrow in the ground. We were trapped and the distressing howling was getting closer. About three minutes later, I heard a faint growling about ten feet away from the pit we were trapped in. The sun was clearly setting behind the dense cloud clover that stuffed the sky because the ambient light was failing my eyes. Suddenly, I looked up to see two bright amber orbs gleaming down at me as if they were reflecting a newfound treasure....or a large bowl of mini marshmallows. Jon looked at me, and likewise I glanced at him to get his nod of approval. "Yes," he whispered. And then I tossed up a rope I had finagled out of my bag and lassoed the wolf's head. As the beast tried to free itself, it actually pulled me out of my subterranean prison. Once out, I jumped up, grabbed the wolf's head and twisted it hard to the left until it produced a satisfying snap. The animal fell to the ground, lifeless. I then used the rope to get my brother out of the pit in the few seconds I had before the rest of the pack arrived. As soon as he was on his feet, we turned around to see ten sets of glowing eyes staring holes through our souls. Another head nod from my brother, and within a minute, we had taken out the entire pack using only somewhat more than minimal effort and a rubber band. But then, out of nowhere, a pterodactyl dive-bombed my face, and I woke up--slightly hungry with a side of bamboozled.
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful winter day, when the three young Binkley children were riding four wheelers through the newly blanketed layer of snow. The oldest and wisest of the three lead the pack. She drove the fastest, turned the quickest, and ran over the largest bumps. It was all fun and games until they had the brilliant idea, "Hey, lets tie the sled to the back of this, and we can go really fast."The oldest Binkley had to try first, and as the four wheeler took off it was a lot of fun! However, as they approached the first curb, splat! She flew into the electric fence. Luckily for her, the fence had been turned off earlier that morning, so she only sustained minor cuts and bruises. Katelyn Binkley, though the oldest and wisest, grew a little bit wiser that day, when she learned of how dangerous snow could be.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little, I went through a bit of a mad scientist phase. I wanted to concoct and sample new things, some of which were a bit odd. One day, while mixing and tasting various ingredients, I realized there was nearly three inches of snow sitting on the ground idly. I picked up a cup and ran barefoot outside, hopping around like my feet would fall off. I gathered some snow and brought it inside. Thankfully, it was the fluffy fresh snow and not the grimy icy kind- or worse, the yellow kind. I added some of my mother's coffee creamer and cocoa and blended it all together. Nervously, I tasted my creation. It was delicious! I decided to call it "froffy". I spent the rest of my day, and every other snowday making froffy. Yes, I realize that it's strange to eat the snow rather than play in it, but I would give anything just to taste my creation again!
ReplyDeleteI have always been a huge fan of sledding; however, unlike most people I don't rely on gravity to speed me down a hill but on a four-wheeler. That's right! Instead of taking a lame trip in a trash can lid down a lightly sloped mound, I take it up a notch by attaching my sled to an all-terrain-vehicle. Of course this had led to some injuries over the years, (namely bruises and bumps) but the result is more than worth it. The experience of sledding at twenty miles per hour only to have my face slammed into the freezing ground is simply incredible.
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