Sledding & Shady Pines

Dear Hagen,

When Peg and Tex were here, we all loaded up to go sledding. Now, if I asked the average person to guess who would enjoy this trip the least, the smart money would probably be on the southern contingent, specifically my mother who once visited us in May and wore my bathrobe over her clothes and sat in my car to do her crossword puzzles so she could run the seat warmers. 

But those people would be wrong! Because the real answer is that no one hates going outside in the cold more than you. We parked at the ski hill, and I opened the car door to get you out, and you said, "Don' wanna sled. 'et's just go eat."

Every morning at our house this winter, we've gotten you ready for school and put on your coat and opened the front door, and you've dropped to the ground with some version of, "No, mama! Is too snowing!" Or - my favorite - "Is crazy out dere." I pick you up at school at the end of the day, and your teachers say, "Did you know Hagen doesn't like to go outside?" "Who do you think you're telling?" I ask. 

But we went through the motions and we bundled you up and thought if you just rode down the hill on the inner tube with Dad one time, you would love it.

Instead, what happened was your dad put you in his lap and sailed down the hill with you, as you yelled out loud and clear, "THIS IS NOT MY CHOICE!" followed by "THAT WAS NOT MY CHOICE!" Obviously, we're not going to make you sled against your will, so back in the car you went. 

Your sister takes a more welcoming view of the snow. 

There was a hit show in the 80's called "The Golden Girls," and on it, the character Dorothy used to always threaten to take her mom back to the old folks' home by looking at her and saying, "Shady Pines, Ma." At the ski hill, Peg Peg asked me, "Well, if Hagen doesn't like to go outside and he doesn't like the snow and he won't ski or sled, what DOES he like?" "Hmmm.." I considered. "He likes working on puzzles and getting up late and taking naps and regular snacks and lying on the couch watching TV and small building projects that he can work on alone and cranking the thermostat up to 80, and quiet rooms where he can concentrate." Shady Pines, we decided, might be the perfect place for Hagen to hang out during the day, in lieu of preschool. 

If you're reading this and you're a member of the Frazer United Methodist Church Senior Friends group, please sign Hagen up for your next bus trip and let me know what I owe you. 

Love,

Mom