We Just Called It Winter
For some reason, this view out my bathroom window made me think about winters in Fort Erie when I was a kid.
It wasn't unusual to get a foot or two of snow at a time. Or for it to be replenished regularly right up until the middle of March and sometimes beyond.
Today, when I look at all the millennials giving me the weather like it’s some kind of brutal event, I kinda have to chuckle. We never thought of it as brutal. Nope, sorry, it was just plain winter.
You bundled up for it. And you shoveled it. And then you had some hot chocolate and played Monopoly and then shoveled it again.
The older people in our neighbourhood would pay me and Doug Ineson a couple of bucks for shoveling out their sidewalks and driveways. So there was money to be made from winter. The same as the money we could make from cutting their lawns in the summer.
When the snow really came down it was piled up high along the edge of a park called the Sugar Bowl.
A bunch of us would gather at Larry Jackson’s house nearby and choose wooden guns that Larry’s dad had made, which were replicas of the ones he used when he fought in WW II. There were at least a dozen different shapes, and guys would argue over the submachine guns because they allowed for the coolest sound effects.
Then we would all go to the 20-foot mounds of snow and have mock battles.
Nobody got hurt and there was very little, if any, association with real violence. Because we weren’t stupid, and we had all grown up with cap pistols, BB guns, air rifles and other toys like that.
Eventually, when everybody was figuratively dead, we would go back to Larry’s house and his mom would make hot chocolate.
Winters back then involved a lot of hot chocolate.
Things Have Changed
Today, the toys that kids play with require a lot less imagination to connect with real-world violence, and so the concerns about the effect on their brains are much greater than they were back when I was a kid when the effect on us was virtually non-existent.
I have to say that it definitely was a lot better back then when we had to really use our imaginations and our visions were blood-splatter free.
"There’s a crack in everything…it’s how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen
It was a great time to be a kid back then. We had as much fun in the winter as we did in the summer. We were all rail thin and wiry because we played hard and we played long.
I don’t think about those days all that often. If I did maybe I would have become a different sort of writer. Perhaps a novelist or a real essayist.
As it is, I do believe I became what I was supposed to be, because there has never been a single day when I did not love what I was doing. And I hope I never get to experience one.
That image of those icicles up top really cracked open my memory bank. Who knows what else will seep out?
jimout
Jim Murray is a highly experienced advertising and marketing professional. He is a communication strategist, op/ed blogger, writer, art director and broadcast producer.He is also a partner at Bullet Proof Consulting. www.bulletproofconsulting.ca
You can follow Jim:
On beBee: https://www.bebee.com/bee/jim-murray
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-murray-b8a3a4/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jimbobmur
On Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/y97gxro4
""
Articles from Jim Murray
View blogThere is a war going on in the world that is much more insidious than any war waged with conventiona ...
This is the second column in our recently reformed collaboration. · PHIL: · Okay, Jim, so the other ...
This is the third in a series on writing, which is something I have been doing professionally for mo ...
Related professionals
You may be interested in these jobs
-
Distribution Quality Specialist
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 5 days ago
Molson Coors Beverage Company Toronto, CanadaRequisition ID: · A Career in Beer and Beyond: · Our purpose at Molson Coors Beverage Company is to brew beverages that unite people to celebrate all life's moments. We've been brewing iconic brands for over 350 years and are now proud to be offering a modern portfolio t ...
-
pizza cook
Found in: Talent CA 2 C2 - 5 days ago
PIZZAVILLE Collingwood, CanadaEducation: Secondary (high) school graduation certificate · Experience: 7 months to less than 1 year · Work setting · Fast food outlet or concession · Tasks · Prepare and cook complete meals or individual dishes and foods · Prepare dishes for customers with food allergies or into ...
-
Become a Vuer
Found in: Talent CA A C2 - 5 days ago
iVueit Brandon, CanadaJob Details: · Have a smartphone and eye for taking pictures? Then you're a perfect fit Join our Vuer Community and assist by taking photos and providing feedback. The iVueit app helps property managers get on-demand insight on current conditions by utilizing nearby Vuers already ...
Comments
Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸
6 years ago #3
Paul \ Winter can be funny :-) Javi vs the Plow: Speculative Fiction https://www.bebee.com/producer/@paul-croubalian/javi-vs-the-plow-speculative-fiction
Jerry Fletcher
6 years ago #2
Randall Burns
6 years ago #1