tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post2421782426379227250..comments2024-01-12T11:26:35.176-05:00Comments on Working Stiffs: Winter MemoriesWorking Stiffshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270595837074553752noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-11501071236669613762009-12-22T11:59:35.025-05:002009-12-22T11:59:35.025-05:00Sorry that I'm in such a Grinch-y mood this ye...Sorry that I'm in such a Grinch-y mood this year. I can't come up with any really great winter memories. I've been trying all morning, and all I can remember is the bitter cold, and the long walk to school. I just went to mapmywalk.com and measured it - it was .36 miles, but it felt more like 20 on those cold dark mornings when I'd be freezing my legs in a Catholic school jumper and knee socks. Then there was the winter that the downstairs neighbor, in whose apartment the thermostat was located, kept it turned down, which meant that it was freezing cold on the 2nd & 3rd floors where my family lived. It was too frigid on the 3rd floor to even try to sleep up there. My father was working nights, so the rest of us slept in the living room - my mother on the couch, my baby brother in his baby carriage, and my other brother and I in the playpen. My mother finally mentioned the problem to Mr. Gumto, the landlord, who promptly moved the thermostat into the hall. We did sled ride a few times on the front street. I lived in the last house on the left near the top of a slope, on a street that dead ended in a cemetery. [It's odd when your closest neighbors are almost all dead.]Ginanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-26918416609844926562009-12-22T10:22:56.729-05:002009-12-22T10:22:56.729-05:00Joyce, I love Crafton and Crafton Heights. Some go...Joyce, I love Crafton and Crafton Heights. Some gorgeous houses out there! <br /><br />We used to do most of this stuff too. The sledding, avoiding the trees and avoiding getting hit by a car or bus at the bottom of the hill. Skating on frozen ponds, doing our best to avoid weak spots. Cross country skiing - lots of cross country skiing in Norway. Getting lost in the woods... <br /><br />I grew up with an old gravelled soccer field across the road from me, and as soon as it got cold enough, someone from the city - water dept, fire dept - would come out and spray it with water. The water would freeze and we'd go ice skating all winter. As soon as my homework was done every afternoon, I'd be out there. And so would everyone else. My kids don't have any of that now, and I sort of wish they did. Although I'm with Martha: if I saw someone do some of the stuff we did, I'm afraid I'd have to stop them too! <br /><br />Merry Christmas, all!Jennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442754671445893599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-19560809753682443902009-12-22T08:27:19.791-05:002009-12-22T08:27:19.791-05:00I lived in the city of Pittsburgh (Crafton Heights...I lived in the city of Pittsburgh (Crafton Heights) when I was a kid. There was an alley behind the houses across the street from me. Although I don't remember it being all that steep (except at the top), it was really long. After a few hours, the track would be nice and icy. The tricky part was bailing out before we hit the bottom and got run over by a car/truck/bus on Crafton Boulevard.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-54705618598492355892009-12-22T08:21:10.586-05:002009-12-22T08:21:10.586-05:00We had so much fun in the winter. We'd lace on...We had so much fun in the winter. We'd lace on the skates at home and walk/glide/fall on our faces on the way to the neighbourhood rink. We didn't have a shed to change into, and our boots got stolen if we left them there. The blades got incredibly dull, but we never really noticed :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-76163639667602335422009-12-22T07:14:00.691-05:002009-12-22T07:14:00.691-05:00Hi, Annette. And no helmets or padding, either. It...Hi, Annette. And no helmets or padding, either. It's a miracle we survived. We had a summer version involving a large tree, the lake and a rope swing. Good times!Martha Reedhttp://www.marthareed.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-12219792998110181202009-12-22T06:48:50.482-05:002009-12-22T06:48:50.482-05:00My best friend and I used to sled on my grandparen...My best friend and I used to sled on my grandparents' farm, starting at the top of the hill by the tractor shed, sailing across the farm lane, down toward the farmyard where we had four choices: 1. Aim for the gate and continue down through the yard all the way to Route 18. 2. Miss the gate and crash into the wooden picket fence. 3. Forget about the gate and crash into one of the outbuildings or 4. hit a swell in the ground just right which would flip you over on your back with the sled on top of you. This last choice was the only one that didn't involve potential injury. Serious injury. <br /><br />My mom only recently learned of this particular version of the otherwise typical winter activity and freaked out. (It's okay, Mom. We survived with no broken bones or teeth!)<br /><br />But, man, we had fun!Annettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02755947919433555176noreply@blogger.com