Winter Joy

Aubrey and the boys left just now.  All that remains of their Thanksgiving visit are a few crumbs on the floor, a bunch of leftovers in the fridge, assorted plastic army men that were hiding underneath the sofa and scads of little footprints in the snow.  Oh…they also left many memories that will warm my heart for a good long time. 

It’s been below zero for a while, so although the snow’s been lovely to look at, outside activities have not been an option.  Well, today it actually warmed up to about 28 degrees, so we all bundled up and went outside to make a snowman.  It didn’t take long though, to realize that it was still too cold for the snow to pack, so I rummaged around and found an old Radio Flyer sled buried in a snowdrift back behind the juniper tree.

 I’ll admit right here and now that one of my favorite outings is to go to the dump.  You see, around here if folks think that anyone else can use their castoffs, they set them to the side of the dump for the taking. I love coming around the corner, through the gate and scanning to find the treasure.  Well, last summer, Noel found an old, broken Radio Flyer sled by the dumpster and carted it home. I must admit that I almost took it back a couple of times because I wasn’t sure if it would ever glide again.  But, it was saved by the thought that even if it wouldn’t work, at least it could be part of some outdoor holiday decorations along with a pair of old wooden snow skis that came from the auction.

Well, today I hauled the old Flyer up our berm, plunked Jake down on it, and said, “Here you go, buddy.  Let’s see if this thing still has some fun in it.”  Oh, it did. 

Oh-my-goodness-gracious-sakes-alive.  Again and again we slid down the hill.  First, to see how far we could go, then to see how long we could stand up.  Finally, we just decided to go for “style points”. 

Roman the dog joyously protected us as we flew (well, maybe we didn’t go that fast) down the hill and after Aubrey and I got tired of doing the starting pushes, it was our turn to go for it. 

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I loved, loved, loved being a kid again.  I loved yelling and using my outside voice.  Aubrey commented that she couldn’t remember having laughed that much in a long time.  I had a sled exactly like this when I was a kid and it was just like I had it back again.  Admittedly, this one is probably about the same age.  But, just as that old sled had a bunch more fun in it, so too, does this old body.  And even though it is a cliché….I was reminded again that it really is the simple things in life that are the best.  The huge box turned into a fort is more memorable than the new refrigerator, the hand threaded macaroni necklace is more precious than the strand of pearls and the laughter of my grandchildren is sweeter music than any symphony can play.

Now, please excuse me as I go put some ice on my nearly broken hip, because I can proudly claim the honor of “fall of the day”.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!