Good News / Bad News

So we have good news, and bad news.  The good news is that we got a brand new sled!  The bad news is that we got a brand new sled.

I was reasonably enthusiastic about getting a new sled.  We usually go entire winters where we would not have enough snow to go sled riding.  But this year we have so much damn snow that if I'm not careful when I open the door of the house, we could easily go sled riding in our living room.

Little Smoot had been bugging me about getting a sled for several days, so we ventured out to a sporting goods store on one of her numerous snow days and actually found a few sleds in stock.

Well, that was all good and well, but now Little Smoot wants me to join her outside in the actual snow, and of course she insists that I ride the sled.  And being the fine father I am, with the mental maturity of a young child, I thought it might actually be fun to ride down the hill in our yard.

We created a track that begins beside our house, goes down over a pretty steep hill, and ends somewhere in the bottom of the yard.  I went flying down the hill a couple times, and then it suddenly occurred to me:  "This sucks."

And I hate to think that way, because this is yet another sign that I'm not getting any younger.  Sled riding used to be a blast!  My brother and I would make elaborate trails in our yard, and we had our share of near death experiences on a giant pipeline hill adjacent to our property.  We'd be out there for hours and we loved it!

Yet after just a couple rides down the hill, the only thing I could think was:  "This sucks."  Something about freezing my butt off while my clothes get all soggy from the snow just isn't nearly as appealing as it used to be.  And I have to admit that I hate the terrible things that happen to my hair when I wear my dorky wool cap nowadays.

I hope this stuff melts sometime before July.