BELLY FLOPPING

Does the title have any meaning for you?

Whenever we have a considerable snowfall, I think back to my younger days in New Jersey and its wintertime fun. Belly flopping means running at your fastest speed, holding your sled in front of you. At the zenith of your speed, put down the sled and flop onto it for as long a ride as possible. Fun! Fun! Fun!

When not riding downhill, my buddies and I engaged in a somewhat risky "bus ride." We waited at a bus stop for a bus to stop, and when it started to move, we ran to the rear of that bus, flopped down on our sleds and grabbed the rear bumper for a fast, sometimes bumpy ride. Fun, but dangerous.

A few years ago, I made an attempt to demonstrate "belly flopping" to my grandson. Using our slightly-hilly street to show him how, I ran down the street, lickety-split and flopped down. Unfortunately, I missed the sled and crashed into a hardened snowbank. Grandson ran into the house shouting to his grandmother, "DeeDee, you better come runing, Pop has crashed and he's all bloody! Fun? Not really.

Warning, dear reader, know where your sled is when you flop.

More, later.