Thursday, August 11, 2011

Memories...

Growing up in New England,
((Connecticut specifically,))

we learned quick that the Winters brought tons of snow & along with it,

Snow Days!!!!


we woke up early on those snowy mornings,

to listen to WICC Radio station to hear if the Parochial schools had the day off...
it they did, then we who attended the Public shools did too!


We would bundle up and head off to the nearest hill,

sleds in tow ~

the climb up the hill was a long one, slippery & cold but
what a view from the top!!!


our little town twinkled below, nestled in a blanket of snow.


my sled was a Flexible Flyer...
you know, the one that weighed 50lbs,
you could 'steer' it (yeah right...)
and it's metal blade runners were not only capable of slicing through the deepest snow,
but very adept at causing serious injuries at those times when the sled's 'steering' arms
brought you to the base of a tree trunk at the bottom of said hill....


ah...golden, painful childhood memories :)


we would stay all day, braving sub-zero temperatures, wearing
wool mittens covered so thick with snow
that when you took them off
they were molded into the little clutched-shape of our frozen hands...


...but we perservered.




when the day was finally done, and we were ruddy-cheeked & exhausted,
our lungs burning from hours of being in the snap of cold wind
and our stocking-caps wound tightly around our necks,

...we would begin the walk home.

HOME
was thee best place to be after a long day of sledding.
we would undress at the back door, fingers, toes & cheeks
(ALL of them) tingling from the indoor heat...
I would get in my flannel nightgown and a fresh pair of dry wool socks
and head straight to the hot water radiator in the dining room~
where I would lie on my back on the floor
and plant both feet firmly on the scorching hot fins of the radiator.


ah....golden, painful childhood memories!!!!


I survived those Winters past ~
and I now look back on them with a chuckle
....and a wish for a more simpler time.

the Sledding in Connecticut Sampler
that you see above is my tribute to such days long ago...

it will be available soon in pattern form along with Christmas Adam & Christmas Eve,
and perhaps a couple more....


Wishing you all days filled with happy memories
and the chance to make new ones~



Blessings from the Farm...

Lori

10 comments:

Shirlee said...

It looks like a wonderful sampler! And thanks for the memories of snow days & sledding. If only it were possible to go back to those times for just 1 day : ) I sent you an email asking about the Pattern Stitch Pro software but haven't heard back from you. Did it make it through? Blessings, Shirlee

cucki said...

wow..it is very lovely sampler..thank you so much for sharing the loving memories:) love and hugs xx

Dianne said...

I read your post with missed emotions. I remember a childhood much like yours......and the one I gave my sons.......and I believe we could give that to the children growing up today......if our priorities were more like those of our parents. To give the gift of a childhood like yours and mine to today's children.......would be worth every ounce of energy and determination that it would require.

Cindy said...

love the 'peek'....and the memories you stirred :)....would love to design a sampler of my own...jotting down ideas all the time.....thanks for the memories

TheCrankyCrow said...

Oh Lori - you have a gift with your words of bringing back warm (and cold!) memories so poignantly!! I can almost feel the sting in my lungs and smell wet wool drying on the fuel oil stove....I know your sampler will be equally eloquent and evocative....Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

Jane said...

Lovely memories and a lovely sampler, too! I also had a Flexible Flyer. It had been my mother's so you know how old and well made it must have been. I remember staying on that sledding hill 'til I could no longer feel my toes and fingers!

Melody said...

Lori, your post of sledding memories could be a mirror of mine!
I remember all the things you wrote about, especially warming up on the radiator once you returned home!

Your sledding sampler is going to be a winner, can't wait to see the whole piece.

P.J. said...

The colors look so warm and toasty, like I am sure you were next to the radiator. I used to drape my night gown up over my knees and sit over the floor register on winter mornings, before getting ready for school and standing at the bus stop at the bottom of our hill.

Your desription and sampler brings up wonderful memories.

jennifer768 said...

Lovely sampler!I really enjoyed the memories ,oh the fun of childhood days.Hugs,Jen

*Kountry*Porch*Primitives* said...

Your words brought back such memories of growing up in Pennsylvania in the Lake Erie region where we still get a TON of snow!! I fondly recall all those snow days too! This is a sampler I will have to stitch!! Hate to admit I'm not much of a Christmas person,I've yet to design a pattern for Christmas...it should all be Halloween :o) But you brought back such warm feelings that I'll have to stitch this!! ~Kriss~