Reader here, and today, I’m talking about creations made of snow.
I’m sure many of you saw big, giant snow piles as kids, and immediately decided: “I must sculpt this, or create a fortress!”
Growing up on the farm near Conquest, we used to get some massive snowstorms, that would often result in some major drifts, especially around the main yard and garden, which were lined with trees and caragana bushes.
My brothers – Ward, Curtis and Barrett – and I would put on our long undies, heavy socks, sweaters, ski pants, winter coats, toques and mitts, and set out to build a mighty fort, impenetrable by all evildoers, at least until spring came.
Looking back now, the way we used to tunnel through the snow, we’re lucky that there were no cave-ins, that may have snuffed out our young lives and imaginations. But we were dumb kids, and didn’t know any better!
At various points, we tried building igloos, but we were never quite able to get the blocks right, and our attempts would most certainly not pass any kind of building inspection!
Of course, over the years, among my brothers and I, and among our friends in the school yard, there were countless snowball fights and face washes in the snow, or shoving handfuls of the white stuff down the back of each other’s shirts or pants.
One year, a bunch of us decided to roll up a giant snowball, that wound up being about five to six feet around. It took a while for us to roll it around the school yard, adding layers of sticky wet snow. Once it was finished, it sat undisturbed until the spring melt came, and a few of us climbed on top of it, jumping on, it, trying to smash it apart, until it was just a melting pile of dirty snow.
I think my favourite snow structure might have been something my brothers and I built on the farm, because, well, it was darn funny to us.
First, we created a long, skinny tower, about five feet high, to which we added a helmet-shaped top. Then, we rolled up a couple of big snowballs, probably a couple feet around, and placed them against the bottom. Finally, we pulled a bunch of grass that was sticking up through the snow, and scattered it around.
I’m not going to specifically identify what it was that we built, but I think you guys probably have a pretty good idea of what it was.
One of the funniest things was after we built it, as my Grandpa and Grandma Procknow came to visit from Lucky Lake, along with my great aunt Evelyn.
Papa saw it and asked: “What the hell is that… some kind of monument?” Well, I guess you could say that.
Meanwhile, we’re quickly trying to get Grandma and Auntie Evelyn into the house, to spare them the sight and horror of our creative (and naughty) stupidity!
Somewhere at home, there is a photo of our “monument,” and I hope it turns up soon, because it’s just too damn funny, and my brothers, Mom and Dad always get a good laugh when we talk about it!
What creative things do you do with snow?
Along that line, enjoy one of my favourite classic Donald Duck cartoons, when he gets into a massive snow battle with his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie!
https://youtu.be/4hbyDbKkZIs?si=dKd5Rr8kwgThGn8s
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