|
DeAnna and Judy would dig tunnels through the snow it was so deep and firm. They'd have them going all over the back yard.
But they'd wake up the next morning all excited to go out and crawl through them again only to find that they caved in.
One day DeAnna got this bright idea to build the BIGGEST snowman all the kids could build together. They got the bottom
snowball so big it took all of them together to push it. Then what was so funny after they couldn't push it anymore they all
look up at it. And the thought hit them how were they gonna get the top ball on it? The bottom was taller than all them. So
they decided to dig a hole into it and use it as a igglo. They got a throw rug to cover the doorway to keep the cold air from
blowing in. And they'd bring a lantern in with them for light and heat. And sit and play cards all day.
DeAnna and Judy would bundle up on the weekends and walk down the road past the side clearing. They'd sing California
Dreaming because it was so cold they'd be dreaming of warm weather. At the end of the property there were some small hills.
They take cardboard and slide down the little hills. They also built a pretend house in the pines there. Just marking the
walls and doorways with sticks laying on the ground. They'd spend all day out there playing.
One time DeAnna had to take a pee. She walked a way from the pines and had a snowmobile suit on. She unzipped it and squat
down to tinkle. As she got back up, she fell back. She had her gloves off and she used both her hands to keep her from falling
all the way down. The snow was so cold on her hands. She managed to zip her suit back up and put her gloves on. They walked
back up to the house. DeAnna's hands were so cold they were numb. She felt like crying and kept rubbing them together. It
wasn't that far back to the house but in 32 below weather it seemed like it was forever. She felt like her hands were gonna
fall off. She knew you could get frost bite and lose her hands. They finally made it back and she headed straight to to wood
stove. God, she was glad she made it back.
Some weekends she would go with the boys to Big Manistique Lake to go ice fishing. It was a ice shanny not much bigger
than an the outhouse. They had a barrel they used to burn wood for heat while they were in there with a small vent going out
the roof. You'd have to spike a whole in the lake. And put your fishing line in and wait. You could see the fish swimming
by. It was cool! DeAnna loved it! Sometimes they would spear for Northern Pike. You'd just stand there with a spear in your
hand and wait for the Pike to swim by. Then throw the spear at it. They'd often bring a lot of fish home to eat. She didn't
like summer fishing but she loved ice fishing.
So nights the boys would go out shinning for deer. Sometimes they'd bring one home and they'd have food for a few weeks.
|
