Country Roads
February 2, 2023
They say snowflakes do not look alike. Recently our area received a lot of snow with some spots reporting 4” to to 10” making for a lot of snowflakes and a lot of needed moisture. The snow came down so perfectly and rare for this area. It was a slow, heavy snowfall without wind to blow it off the cropland and into the ditches and roadways. It remained in the fields and grasslands where it will do some much needed good.
It reminded me of winter snows years ago that came fairly regular. While attending the country school, Oak Creek, there were several times when school was called off for two to three days. Looking out our farm home’s large glass living room window, we’d watch the tractors make their way through the snow drifted country roads with only the driver of the cabless tractor seen. Eventually the grader would slowly come by and the big blade would throw the snow up into the air on both sides, clearing the road but leaving large drifts on either side. If the winds came up overnight, the roads would be closed once again.
When our little Jeep bus was able to get over the roads and gather up the school children, we’d have fun playing in the snow during recess. All the school children had to dress in warm winter coats, wearing caps, gloves and, of course, boots. There were always games to play in the snow including Fox and Geese, my favorite, where puzzle like routes were made in a large square, with all the students in snow boots shuffling along making the loops and curved pathways inside the square and the round safe zone in the middle of the large square. Whoever was the fox, stood in one of the pathways, and the geese stood at the edges of the outside square bordered pathway. The fox called out, “Run geese run.” All the geese ran on the runways, trying to get into the safe “free” zone without the fox tagging them. It was exciting and such simple fun to do in the snow.
Forts were built in the play area on the school grounds. Snowmen and snow women were artistically made with the older students helping the younger ones. Though some of the teachers did not allow snowballs to be thrown from the forts, some did get thrown when the teacher was not looking. It was such a sad time when the wonderfully created snow men later melted down.
When there was way too much snow in the play area, and the temperatures were way too cold to be outside, we’d hold recess inside the small one-room schoolhouse. Card games of Authors, Uno and Old Maids were played. There were marble board games played. The game I didn’t like so well as it was played physically and a little rough was called Good Egg, Bad Egg.
The most memorable snow storm that comes to mind was when I was 10 years old and my baby sister was about to be born, just following a hard blizzard. Dad couldn’t get the pick up or car out of the driveway as the road was completely blocked with snow. A call was made to Grandad and Granny Boyles for help. Soon two uncles, Delmar and Neal, showed up with two tractors, with Grandad close behind in his pick up. Thankfully our families only lived a few miles apart. The tractors worked at opening the roadway, and Mother was loaded into the pickup with Dad at the wheel. Grandad gathered up my sister and myself and off we went to stay with Grandad and Granny for a few days. My sister and I were so excited getting to stay with Granny and Grandad and getting a new sister or brother. Dad’s pickup followed the tractors cleaning a path clear to the Highway 128. Thankfully the highway department had the highway open for travel. Dad and Mom slowly continued on to the hospital in Red Cloud and to our longtime family doctor, Dr. Bennett. That night my baby sister was born. A special time to remember.
Another bad snow blizzard came in about 1968 or ‘69 when my husband and I, along with our baby son, came from our Salina home to stay for the weekend with Dad and Mom. We were driving a ‘65 GTO Pontiac at that time and had left it parked out in my parents’ drive way, right next to the sidewalk walkway to the house. We had arrived at Dad and Mom’s Saturday at noon. Soon after that, it began to snow heavily. We had no idea what sight we would see when we looked out into that driveway the next morning. Where had our GTO gone? The snow had blown across the driveway making huge drifts. The drifts were halfway up the grain bins east of the house. Our car was completely covered with snow. We couldn’t see the top of the car. Later that afternoon, when the sun finally came out, Dad and my husband scooped their way out to where they thought the car was located, using grain scoops. Snow was thrown here and there, making the outline of the car’s exterior exposed. They continued to scoop and scoop. Finally the car was cleared and in full view. Dad’s tractor did the rest of the driveway clearing, but it wasn’t until Monday before we could make the drive back to Salina.
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