Village Squire, 1978-01, Page 6called the upper lot and the lower lot. The upper lot was the
school yard proper and was little more than a gravel pit since the
grass got trampled so much it died and only the pebbles
remained. The lower lot in the summer time had two cramped
ball diamonds, one far the girls and one for the boys (although
the boys usually tried to commandeer both).
The hill of course was perfect for sleigh riding and on a good
day a toboggan would start on the upper lot, sail down the hill
across the lower lot and right over the street that ran along the
edge of the ball diamonds. This of course brought steady
reminders every year from the principal. pointing out the
foolhardiness of the action.
Not everyone, of course would bring a toboggan to school.
Some of us lived in the country and couldn't bring one. Some
didn't have one and some had parents who wouldn't let them
bring one if they did have one. But someone, somewhere back in
history had thought of a solution to the problem. By the time 1
got to the school it was a tradition. With the first good snow the
local kids would haunt the local stores for large old cardboard
boxes. These would be broken apart at the seams and laid out in
huge chunks. Then a gang would pile on the cardboard and slide
down the hill.
This wouldn't have worked well in a lot of snow, of course but
with so many kids concentrated in such a small area, the hillside
quickly became hard packed. There was a favourite run down the
hill and it became more than just hard packed, it was icy. The run
had been used for so many years that there was a permanent
groove in the hillside and this, along with the ice. made it much
like a bobsled run though luckily it was both straight and short
and thus speed was limited.
It was dangerous just the same and the local dentist was kept
busy during the winter repairing the damage. For one thing with
so many people using the run (there were more than 200 in the
school) it meant someone was always hurtling down the hill
before the last group had scrambled out of the way below.
Collisions were inevitable. Then, kids being kids, some people
were always trying to steal rides on the tail ends of somebody
else's piece of cardboard leading to head knockings. Some of the
daredevils insisted on going down the hill head first with
predictable results, sooner or later. And as if that wasn't enough
there were squabbles over 'who owned what piece of cardboard
that could end in skirmishes. Eventually the huge pieces of
cardboard were reduced to pieces barely large enough for one
small bo{tom to sit on while the hands held a corner. The
cardboard was fine as long as the snow stayed crisp but when a
thaw came, the cardboard soon deteriorated into mush and the
fun was over.
The other major attraction on our farm besides our pasture
hill, was the pond. We had a big meadow, about two acres in size
that flooded every time there was a big storm. In spring it was a
small lake but in summer it often dried right up. Often, however.
it would fill up with the autumn rains and when winter came
would provide a natural skating rink. This wasn't as often as
we'd have liked, of course. Sometimes there'd be a wind blowing
when the water was freezing and we'd end up with petrified
wavelets. When we were young and didn't care about such
things as sharp skates, we wouldn't let such things stop us and
skated on the wash -board -like ice anyway. At such times the
teeth often chattered not so much from the cold as from the
vibrations coming upward through our legs.
Other times the snow would be falling during the freezing
process and there'd be a crust on the ice through which you could
hardly skate and which made hockey playing absolutely
impossible.
There were also clumps of reeds in the pond that would stick
up through the ice, right in the middle of the area you wanted to
use as a hockey rink.
But on those rare times when the conditions were just right
there was joy abounding in the meadow. Every kid for a mile in
either direction would come with skates and hockey sticks. I
remember being out at the first crack of dawn, before breakfast
at seven, to skate on the clear. glass -like surface, experiencing
4, VILLAGE SQUIRE/JANUARY 1978.
WHERE THE VALUES ARE!
Bk i�T►T,ON'S THE ORIGINAL OLD MILL
L�11� 1 1� Downtown in Blyth since 1894
Famous for Leather and Woollen
products.
LEATHER & SUEDE COATS & JACKETS
FOR MEN & WOMEN
LEATHER GLOVES, MITTS
& MOCCASINS
FOR MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN
PURE VIRGIN WOOL BLANKETS
ALL SIZES, MANY COLOURS
SHEEPSKIN RUGS
PRICED ACCORDING TO SIZE
Our customers know that 83 years of experience in
the wool and leather business has made
BAINTON'S The Authentic Old Mill in Blyth
The Place To Shop!
Where the choice is greater and the prices are
lower
ainion
Since 1894
ORIGINAL
OLD MILL
IN BLYTH
AT THE RAILWAY TRACKS
Telephone 523.9666
WINTER HOURS.:
Monday -Thursday 9-6
Friday 9-9
Saturday 9-6
Sunday 1-6