The "hill" was steep and a long way to the bottom. A deep little creek was right at the bottom with a small field road bridge right in the center. The object of the whole matter was to "hit" that little bridge and stay outta the creek. A little grove of trees had been chopped down that fall and the stumps were still stickin up about 4" tall. When the snows came in that year [March of 60] this was the common meeting place of all the teenagers to sled! Even those purty and not so purty, highschool girls were all there too. Everything was used for sleds from homemade wooden runner sleds to big round COKE signs, corrigated roofing, car hoods and even a boat! Kinda dangerous with all those tree stumps at the bottom but it didn't seem to bother anybody very much. About a dozen people would get on a sheet of roofing and down the hill it would go. Those things would almost fly they were so fast! It was always better to get in the "drivers seat" rather than at the back. Seemed on the way down the back end would outrun the front end. Those folks on the back only rode there once! TREE STUMPS! Nobody was hurt very bad cept'n one guy who nobody like anyhow. He had problems settin down for a spell but other than that--he was ok. It sure helped to close his HUGE SMART ALEC MOUTH! He really thought he was the "cock of the walk" and would strut around like a banty rooster---all 80#'s of conceit! Even now, he's still a smart aleck! Younger, smaller and a whole lot of BALD HEAD compared to the old hootowl!

"The hill" is still there with very little changes made over the last 40 Plus years except--a new split level house now graces the landscape just south of "the hill". Good people liv'n there but no more sleddin in the wintertime. I'm too old to FIGHT those tree stumps anyhow.

I continue to fight satan everyday and he's too stupid to know he's already lost. I KNOW how this ends--I've read the end of the BOOK! Glory to God. Ole hoot, the hill slider, Gibson. Matt.24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 08, 2001

Answers

I can remember sliding that hill, too. Only it was about 25 years ago. I was one of those good people living there(if'n we're talking about the same hill!) The best thing ever was puttin' ole up-jump in the old wheel chair dad had found and brought home for us to play with. Talk about holler!!!! Me and my older brother would ask him if he wanted to go for a ride, and the little dummy just kept gettin back in! You'd think he'd learn after the third or fourth time. He was having a ball!

Country kids have to kind of make their own fun. Not much money for store bought toys. We made our own fun, from old wheel chairs to dirt clod fights! Those buggers sure did smart!

Take care ole hoot! Talk to you soon!

-- ole sis (mitch6@iwon.com), August 10, 2001.