Living in the country has its drawbacks. When the power goes out in an ice storm, you're in for three days, minimum, which is what we dealt with this past week. I'm watching it all melt off now, enjoying reading by incandescent light and the resumption of my electronic addictions.
When it's snowy and cold and the power's off and all your favorite toys need to be plugged in, it's time for the Amish Wii, Bill of the Birds' new term for amusing oneself in a power outage. (Is it any wonder I leave the pet naming to him? He's a genius.)
We chose Sledding on our Amish Wii and off we went.
While walking with the kids this month in a dusting of snow, we took a route across the hayfield/cow pasture near our mailbox. And it hit us that for 16 years we have been living on top of the best darn sledding hill on the planet, and didn't even realize it. We'd always taken the slope in our yard, which ends abruptly and painfully in a tangle of multiflora rose and sumac. Yow! Nothing like a face full of Ninja stars at the end of a thrilling run. The kids and I looked at this smoothly mown hayfield and resolved to make it ours in the next decent snowstorm.
I made them pull me out to the end of the driveway. It's good for them.
Then we hoofed it across the flat until we reached the Bowl. You can see the dropoff at the left side of the picture. We followed their track from that morning, when I was busy doing something else.
It's a heck of a hill. The huge oak tree is on the very southeast corner of our land, which is doubtless why nobody has cut it down. It's a line tree, and it's our line tree. It will stand until it decides to fall down. I smile every time I see that tree. Although we have only a pie-slice of land that it stands on, I also put a bluebird box up near the oak, further marking our territory in a gentle way.
Bye, kids. Be careful. Just remember Mommy loved you.
We loved you, too, Mommy. Farewell.
Talk about a long run...you go and go and go.
There's a wonderful steep berm that gets you really moving. Here, Liam's trudging back up.
It's the long trudge up that limits the number of runs you do. I'm usually good for about six before I start thinking about popcorn and hot cocoa.
And roses and freckles.
We always draw a cowd.
In this particular episode, we hit a frozen cowpie that stood up about six inches--a deadly mogul, taken at speed. I took it right on the tailbone and wasn't right for two weeks. It's finally better today and we're going for one last run before the snow melts off. I am going to stuff an Ugly Doll down my pants just in case.
21 comments:
Amish Wii!!! You always manage to come up with just the right turn of phrase. I'll be using that all year now, if you don't mind.
(appropriate word verification: "playsta")
Wendi
If there's snowmelt, that could mean cowpie thaw -- which could set you up for a fate worse than tailbone tenderness (and a Baker-style post-poop dunking.) Where's your ugly doll now, Moses?
Amish Wii is such a joyful post. Thank you.
Who else can come up with Amish Wii besides Bill of the Birds? I think I'd suffer a frozen cowpie better than a thawed one.
Memories are made while sledding. Have fun! Don't forget we loved you!
Mary
It was nice to have known you, Julie. Have you written your epitaph yet?
~Kathi, who discovered today that she has a sidewalk!
I find that if I squint real hard, especially with the sweat beads burning, the white sands of this Puerto Rican beach look amazingly like your sled bowl. I feel unusually connected to this post. While re-enacting the sledding I hit a dried sea cucumber corpse and scraped my back. So, I feel your pain, sans the parka.
Amish Wii is perhaps the funniest think I've ever heard. I just shot guava juice out my nose all over the beach towel while reading. This is why I love Sundays!
Amish Wii, that husband of yours is just way toooooo funny! Our power was off for 30 hours, but we have a huge generator so we could run everything in the house. The one evening we shut down the generator and just sit quietly and talked, that was nice. Sometimes no electric is nice!
Amish Wii......LOL!
That hill looks HUGE--and, from my experience, pictures never really capture the true extent of them.
That one must have been really something!
Sledding is a great memory for your kids--one mine continue to remember with every snow, even now grown.
Bravo to you and Bill for making the best of a power outage!
Bill IS a genius.
And speaking of Ugly Dolls....we got Lorelei an Ugly Doll for her birthday (Isabelle's "Wage" has us all Ugly-Crazy). Lorelei's doll is "Babo's Bird", who is a bird who loves Babo and calls him Mommy, though Babo HATES birds. It was perfect.
I think it's Mommy's turn to get an Ugly Doll.
And your idea of stuffing Big Toe into the back of your drillies makes me think that I may never look at that particular doll the same again.
: )
Julie wonderful post. your husband is so creative. 'Amish Wii'
I bet your kids had so much fun during your power outage. Well sort of hey.
How fun! I laughed and laughed at Bill's post. You guys always make the best of any situation. :c)
This reminds me that among famous last words is: "Hey! Watch this!"
Maybe we should all take one day a month and try living without electricity. It would build awareness, appreciation and preparedness.
Glad to hear you have your power back! Three days is a reasonable stretch of time to go without power, I think. Long enough to make you appreciate what you were missing, but not so long that you begin to contemplate moving to a hotel.
Ah, sledding! Looks like a great hill, and a great time had by all. I'm surrounded by kamikaze sledders at my house; they're happiest when they get some air time or crash into a snowy heap together. Boys will be boys...even the 'grown up' ones. I keep to skating and taking pictures of the airborne blurs, then retreat for hot chocolate.
Great way to start my Monday - thanks :)
By any chance is the sledding bowl, a (sorry about this) a
SuperBowl?
Amish Wii turns into Amish WHEEEEE.
Sorry about that tailbone hit. Nothing like a sore coccyx.
And my word verification (tee hee): annass
Julie,
That photo of your daughter is wonderful, something so touching about it. --Jane (a regular reader but usually not a commenter)
Some of my best childhood memories revolve around sledding. Thanks for the jogging the old memory banks. You make trudging back up the hill so vivid. Your kids will thank you, too. Of all their many experiences, sledding will be among the top. I guarantee!
Great sledding, remonfd me of childhood in upstate New York! But what has happened to steerable Flexible Flyer-type sleds, so as to avoid said cow pies? Evasive manuevers, Mr. Sulu!
Good sledding fun! Those plastic toboggans are so much faster than the wooden ones we used to have in the "olden days."
word verification: canasm
Ugh, I got the tailbone sledding down a trail at Broughton Nature Preserve a couple of weeks ago, too. I feel you, dear. I am finally able to stand from bending over without bending in a complex, pain-avoiding dance.
Ahhhh.... Memories of my childhood sledding down a very similar hill. It was never too cold and you stayed out forever until you couldn't feel your feet and hands any longer.
Stefanie
Post a Comment