As a child, I can remember the thrill of waking up in the morning to discover that school was cancelled. The snow knee high or deeper… and all of your friends in the mood to play.
Toboggans gather. Snowmen build. Forts fall.
There was a big old sheep dog in our neighbourhood who loved to steal mittens. He’d romp around chasing snowballs and diving through the snow until eventually he’d get a mouthful of mitt. Nothing was funnier than a dog grabbing one of grandma’s masterpieces… strung through a winter coat and attached to the hand on the other side. The unsuspecting child being dragged and pulled while trying to retrieve their mitten from a pouncing, happy, excited, snow covered dog! If it wasn’t attached to a string… the dog would run for his life with multiple kids chasing behind… his belly eventually full of matted snowballs and kids dropped to the ground exhausted and laughing.
We’ve a snow day.
It’s one of those with rain and slush. Not exactly a day for building snowmen and forts but still the kids are home… happy to wake to cancelled school and a lazy day ahead with cookie baking and hot chocolate on the agenda.
And maybe a romp through the yard with the dog.
What’s your “snow day” memory?
Well, when I was a kid school was only cancelled when it was a blizzard and the snow would be so thick that even the plows couldn't make it through! We would bundle up with multiple layers. Nothing was waterproof so it was a given you would get soaked. Everyone would head to "the hill" which was monsterous (but it must have shrunk because it's not so big anymore??). We would go "sledding" all afternoon. Some of us were lucky enough to get on the big wooden sled and others on the tube – the real kind from the big trucks not the fancy kind kids use today. The best part though was coming home, usually well after night fall and by the moonlight. Our house was at the bottom of the hill and we would try to sled all the way home (with some pushing). When we got there all the coats, mittens, pants and boots would be laid strategically by the wood stove so they would dry by the next day. We would all have something hot to drink, tea or hot cocoa and tell Mom and Dad about who sled the farthest or who jumped the highest. Such great times and we had it so good but didn't even know it!
BJ