# 15"This Season"
the Beginninga cats-eye view
When I was younger...
a lad of twelvish, say
The season started on
Thanksgiving day.
I prayed with all my heart
For snow to fall in
Great abundance.
First for play...
Castles, forts, and such.
But also for the
Chance...
The chance to cling
to the handle of a shovel.
The chance to earn a pocketful of
Change, and dollars.
Money with which to purchase gifts
For mom and dad,
Jeff, and Jule.
The season was less for me
Without the abundance of whiteness.
It was the essence of the season.
It ushered us, slipping and sliding
Gleefully into the season...
The season of imagination..
Of snow angels, snowballs,
Skating, skiing and
hooking cars*
Walking to Mrs. Patchin's
Two feet of fluffy
Blanketing the ground.
The flakes of snow, silver dollar
Size
Falling so thick and fast,
Drifting lazily in splendid profusion
so as to make me blink..
And my imagination,
My dreams, came in matching profusion..
Filling me with swelling emotion.
Cradling her gift,
Bought with my own shoveling money.
The first gift of the season
Was about to change hands.
There would be other
Gifts and such.
Midnight mass, and the Christ child.
Christmas trees and eggnog....
Toys and clothes and games.
But only one first gift.
The one that starts the season...
Merry Christmas Mrs. Patchin
Where-ever you are.
* Hooking cars. This was a time before road sand and salt. Bold souls, such as my friends and I, would hide between or behind parked cars and wait for a car to pass by. Then we would sneak out in a crouch and grab on to the passing car's rear bumper and let them pull us along, our feet sliding smoothly over the hard-packed, snow covered roads.
One caveat was ever present: scout the area to be sure there were no bare spots along the route. ;)
The snow would get so hard that we could literally ice skate in the streets. Many an impromptu hockey game was conducted in the middle of Oak Street!
the Finish24 hours later
and five+ hours of shoveling.
Labels: Writer's Island #15 "the season"
posted by rel at 5:04 AM
16 Comments:
It speaks so well about a young lad's yearnings. A boy's wishes, hopes and desires.
rooted
reading room
That picture looks awesome.. and the look into a 12 yeard old mind was very good
Hooking cars Rel, now there's something we forgot. You could go blocks and blocks riding along. Of course it helped having chrome bumpers. ;)
Wonderful pictures. It reminds me my winter in New York State
We've heard about the big snowstorm that you've had, it looks beautiful on the photos. Five hours of shovelling snow should have kept you fit:):) I've been pretty much absent from blogland recently, too much else going on, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things again after the holidays. Hope you are still enjoying all that snow.
its amazing how central snow seems to be to the festive season when you're young.
what a beautiful snow you had Rel!!! And what a wonderful look back into Christmas's past! If you tired to hook a ride on a car now they would have you booked before you knew what hit you! Times seemed to be so much simpler then didnt they? Wonder what the kids of today will have to say in years to come? We played nintendo for 30 hours?????
I remember 'hooking' on cars. I was always too smart or too scared to do it as it looked dangerous. I had enough danger in staying alive, but I love the snow and hockey and all the fun camps in the snow. It was fun and I still like it even when I'm tired of shoveling.
Wonderful.
In Iowa, we call "hooking", skitching". I have no idea why.
I am alone then as a child wishing for snow ~ good for you you had your wishes yearly. I have to wait 34 years before my wishes was granted. Here's how:
~ http://jeques.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/my-first-snowre-posted-for-writers-island/
I wish you well this season.
~ Jeques
I wish you well this season, rel. I hope you enjoy it as much as the lad of twelvish, your post took me back to a time filled with joy and happiness, gained from the simplest of things, thank you for sharing,
UL
Isn't it amazing we survived some of the stupid things we did as children? lol I remember my two older brothers doing what you described as "hooking cars"!! I so remember skating on the streets too:-) Omigosh, Rel, you got a lot more snow than we did...yikes! Stay warm my friend, enjoy this wonderful time of the year and...don't forget your keys! hehe xox
what a lovely story Rem! you told it so beautifully!
I wish todays young men were as enthusiastic!
My kids DREAD a snow day, they know their Dad likes a meticulous job done! I loved the way you wished Mrs. Patchin a merry christmas! Merry Christmas to you too Rem. :)
Hooking cars sounds like great fun. O to be a kid again eh - just for a moment - and then back to being an adult again with all the choices we have - to rememberr and to make new memories.
Have a great Christmas with your family.
What a wonderfully evocative poem, Rel. You've captured that first present purchase so well.
As for the five hours of digging...you're a better man than I am, Gunga Dinh. Looks far too much like hard work to me.
Hooking cars, eh? Just the sort of thing my brothers would have done at the same age...if we'd have had snow.
Have a wonderful Christmas with your family, Rel.
Thank You for the wonderful images of what is so far beyond the hot summer we know downunder! Happy Holidays Rel to You and Yours.
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