For the past several days, we, our families and neighbors have been fascinated by the weather reports on radio and television. And I assume you all were doing the same. Are we going to have rain, freezing rain, sleet or snow?
I am sure there were different wishes from the different age groups.
The older population was surely hoping the entire forecast would be wrong, but if it had to be either of these, let it be just rain. Not the freezing rain, not the sleet and not the snow.
The middle-agers were most likely varied in their their wishes. Some said a little freezing rain or sleet wouldn’t be too bad, if the temperataures didn’t remain freezing for very long. But i would think the youngsters were surely wishing for the snow.
Even at my advanced age, I can recall years when we had what we considered big snows. During our childhood the big snows were rare but we thoroughly enjoyed them when they came.
Mama would always make snow ice cream when we got a big snow. She would give us a bowl or pan and instruct us to fill it with lots of clean, pure white snow. She then added sugar, a little milk and vanilla. And,voila, we had ice cream.
Some years when we had a “big” snow, Daddy would tell us to put on a coat, a cap or headscarf, and gloves and we would walk down through the woods “tracking” rabbits. We might be cold but we wouldn’t let him know because we were enjoying the trek through the woods. The little animals left trails through the snow that were easily tracked, or traced. Sometimes we came upon the rabbits and Daddy would shoot one and sometimes the little fellows out smarted us and got away.
But we still enjoyed the outing with Daddy.
During one of the last years I was teaching, we got snow during the day while we were in class. Usualy, in bad weather, school would be dismissed but we had to wait for orders from the school board in Minden to do so.
When the snow began that day, I knew we might as well just put the books away, because the students were so excited. They all rushed to the windows to see the snow. After a few minutes, I told them to go to the closet, get their coats, hats and gloves and we went outside to let them enjoy it for a few minutes.
By the time we got outside, it had snowed enough they could make snowballs.
Guess who became their target. You’re right, the TEACHER.
I let them enjoy it a short while, then took them back inside so they didn’t get too cold. But I wanted it to be an experience they might not get again soon.
I’m sure all of those fourth graders remember the day they got to “snowball fight” their teacher.
Fannie Moore lives in Shongaloo.