Tag: snow day

By on

Remember that time you did something bad ass and you wonder if anyone noticed? Yeah, someone might have. Also, remember the time you were a dumb-bunny and you hope no one saw? Someone might have. Ah snow. Ah memories.

We’ve had snow this week! Snow days from work even! A native Michigander, I’m convinced that cold is more enjoyable when it’s bright outside and glittery. Also, it’s far easier to play in snow than in mud.

Sundance, my red heeler/Australian cattle dog, and Banjo, our Australian Shepherd, boop-de-boop!

When I was a kid, we all went sledding at Memorial Park, which had several hills. I was always on the fastest, biggest one. We were old school—no tow rope, no car waiting at the bottom. We sped down, and trudged up.

Mostly it was kids on the fast slope. But there are two people who were in their early 20s (maybe late teens, I was a kid, IDK) I remember from those days.

One was a dumbass. She was a super cute blonde, and wearing one of those bunny-fur jackets that were popular for a minute late 70s into the 80s. And high heel boots over her jeans, I’ll never forget it.

We’d borrowed a toboggan. It wasn’t a great hill for so long and unmaneuverable a sled—too icy. But what the heck. All us kids knew—if for some reason you wipe out mid-hill, get the hell out of the way!

This young woman and her boyfriend wiped out mid-hill. She was mincing along uphill in those high heels—right up the middle. Once you get going downhill, there’s no stopping and barely any turning. We rammed her. Not on purpose. She went ass-over-teakettle. Pretty sure they left the hill after that collision. We didn’t.

And I remember a guy, late teens or early 20s. He had sideburns, a fleeced-denim jacket and cowboy boots. Cowboy boots, if you didn’t know, are my favorite footwear. Cowboy-boot guy was standing on top of the hill watching people go down, really examining the path.

In a clear moment, he stepped out onto the hill and skied all the way down just on his boots! It remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen anyone do.

So, blonde rabbit-fur jacket gal, I hope you’re OK. Situational awareness is a useful skill.

And sideburn cowboy-boot guy, I still think you’re cool. For what it’s worth.

I wonder how many times I’m the dumbass in someone’s story?

By on

Snow day! This is like a Michigan snow down here in Southern Illinois today. And a great change from the ice storm we had just a few days ago that knocked out our power for 75 hours. Just pure snow joy!

I’ve been waiting for a snowy day to make this reading video. The first take was good—but a snowflake on the lens made it blurry. It took me another half a dozen takes to get it right. As good as I can do, anyway.

The bit in this story about the vehicle crash is mostly true. It’s a story I heard in a town where I lived for a couple years. I wanted to write it into a bigger story but every attempt failed. And then one day I was enjoying a solo lunch at a café, half-heartedly eavesdropping as writers tend to do in such environments, and I heard a woman giving her friend several reasons she was reluctant to break up with her boyfriend even though she knew the relationship wasn’t working. Bingo.

This is filmed in a section of the Shawnee National Forest near my house.

Here’s a link to the story: https://sleetmagazine.com/selected/ferrell_v12n1.html