Aunt Mary's Memoirs: XIII

Long walks to and from school sometimes meant breaking through a hard crust of snow, sinking knee-deep into the cold white stuff. Winters were more severe then and at times, the boys would wear spiked cleats on their shoes to enable them to walk on the ice. We wore leggings, long underwear, and I learned early to knit pulse-warmers, to wear around the wrists to keep the freezing wind from blowing up the coat sleeve.
Sldding in the winter was great: The hills of the pasture lent themselves to long rides, gaining speed until we reached the bottom. When the moon was bright and the snow crisp, my brothers laughing as we pulled our sleds to the top again, it was a thrill to be alive. Many times some of the neighbor boys would be present and when everyone was chilled and exhausted we would return to the house, make hot chocolate or tea, and possibly there were some cookies or just good bread, butter and jelly and that was a feast.