Winter Memories

The third winter storm in as many weeks is winding down, leaving us with almost two feet (yes, feet) of snow to clear from our driveway and sidewalk.  The past few days I made sure we had essentials, and also food we could warm up on the wood stove should we lose power. I drew several pitchers of water for drinking, teeth brushing and hand washing. My husband brought the snow blower into the garage and brought in three days worth of wood. We have candles and flashlights. So far we are lucky – we still have power.

Chuck MacDougall and Mary Nunn

All this preparation brought to mind my childhood and how much fun a snowstorm was.  I didn’t have to think about any of the above; I just anticipated putting on my snowsuit and sledding down our back yard with the neighbor boys.  Just off our slate patio was a gentle slope that ended in a large side lawn where a number of fruit trees grew. We would spend hours sledding down that hill. When done, we were welcomed inside with hot cocoa waiting.

Skip and Mary Nunn with MacDougall boys
Ready to go down the hill

Our large farmhouse was heated with coal; I remember how exciting it was when the coal truck came, put the chute into the basement window opening and all that black coal would come tumbling down into the bin my father had built just across from the furnace.

Our home was large and my parents frugal, so only two rooms were kept comfortably warm in the wintertime. The only bathroom, just outside my room, was heated. The other room was the large kitchen that had doors that we kept closed at either end. We ran from our warm bed into the bathroom, and then quickly down the stairs into the kitchen where Mom welcomed us with breakfast.  Ah, the good ole days.