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| Christmas Card 2021 |
JOY!
Art
and Story by Sandra Russell
Like
any kid in elementary school, I looked forward to the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holidays. We had many deep snows in those winters and lots of
opportunities to build snowmen and go sledding, but we really loved going
visiting. We would always drive the jeep to Grandma and Grandpa's house as a big part of
the holiday break from school. We would sing in the car all the way from
Chauncey to Hebardsville… the songs of the season. Especially we would sing Over
the River and through the Woods to Grandmother's house we go! The horse knows
the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifting snow -oh!
My Grandpa had a pair of mules when I was wee little, and a pair of draft horses that pulled the hay wagon. Later on, he only had one horse ‘Prince’ who was a 'flea bit' half Percheron Draft and half Arabian/Quarter horse gelding that I knew most of my youth and was able to ride sometimes. He was a broad-backed horse and we had no saddle. Grandma would plow with him.
To
get to Grandma's house there were two huge hills to climb and no snowplows. So, we
carried what was called 'chains' for the tires. These were actual chains that
wrapped around the wheels for extra tread if the snow was especially deep... otherwise,
if you didn't get a big enough 'run' at the hill, the vehicle would go sliding
backwards into the main road.
I
don't remember the exact situation but do remember Grandpa coming to the rescue
of someone with his team of horses to pull their car out of a ditch. I remember
thinking how romantic it was to see the team out in the snow like that and how
it matched the songs we sang. I guess these memories played a part in designing
this Christmas Card. So, JOY! to you this year and enjoy the weather,
whatever comes!
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