Sledding

According to the weather report, tonight and tomorrow we may be getting 8 inches of snow. Unfortunately this is not exciting since work does not allow snow days. Instead, if we cannot make it into work, for any reason whatsoever, that is due to weather problems, we have to make it up. So if there is a week long hurricane, we are expected to make up that week of work. I can understand not getting paid for the time I didn't work, but being asked to make it up seems a bit rough. I wonder if taking the time off without pay is okay. But in any event, not going into work due to a little snow fall is wimpy so these rules don't apply to me anyway.

Nevertheless, the prospect of getting the snow had me thinking about sledding and how I don't get to do it anymore. Back home I used to go all the time. Being on the foothills of the Appalachian mountain range had its perks. And the sledding was great. Not only did I already live at the top of a large hill, but there were also plenty of other good places to go. In particular was the hill by the community college, Harvard on the hill. This one was a bit of beast, because it was fairly steep. It was a blast to go down, but no fun walking up.

One year a new type of sled was brought to the market. It was essentially a hard rectangular plastic sheet with two rectangular holes cut out on one end for your hands. This sled had you ride on your belly face in front. It was pretty great and you could get lots of speed. The major problem with this design though was the face first on your belly part. First off it was near impossible to turn since your hands were holding the holes. Second the tremendous speed and the fact that your head was pointed towards the ground made it difficult to see objects up ahead.

In particular it was quite difficult to see fallen logs, especially when they were covered up with snow. So when my sled went off the track and headed towards the woods I didn't see the log that I was quickly approaching. Not that it would have mattered much, as it's hard to change direction when you are airborne after going off a small ramp.

All in all it was pretty impressive. I didn't black out, but I did lay there for quite sometime. I wasn't in a great deal of pain but the whole incident was impressive enough that the other sledders took notice and someone ran to grab Dad. I think it was my sister who got him. At any rate no one wanted to look at me. My right eye had gotten clobbered by the log and was quickly swelling up. By the time I trekked up the hill and made it to the van with Dad and my sister, Dad said I looked like a Star Trek character. That night it swelled up considerably and the following days I had great trouble opening it up in the morning because of the pus and mucus that had solidified over my eyelashes during the night.

This was back in the 5th grade, just before I got glasses. I remember going to the Indian doctor, that was a rare treat back then since we have so few of them back home, and after it was determined that my eye would be all right after sometime I shortly had to go back for glasses. Also during that time I had a book assignment due and as part of it I was supposed to make a paper-mache bird with feathers stuck on. I was not looking forward to doing this, but in the end I got lucky. Being right after Christmas, we had gotten 'Free Willy' from Aunt Sandy as a Christmas present. Even back then I didn't want to watch this movie and thought it was for littlier kids, but my Mom popped it in and had me lay down on the couch. Turned out the movie was actually pretty good, it was just that stupid overly dramatic scene in the end with the Whale jumping over the kid's hand that ruined it all. I didn't want to watch that sissy stuff. Turns out I didn't, I wound up falling asleep and when I woke up, completely disoriented after having had such a long nap, my Mom suprised me with the bird all done. She did it while I was sleeping and I got out of the assignment. I still have that bird. Mom hates it, calling it a 'dust-collector' and she's right it is, but I can't bring myself to get rid of it.