An hour in Arneson

I'm tired, having gone without a good night's sleep in weeks. I spent my time late last night squinting to force my eyelids open as i cranked out my page of APUSH id's, the last homework of the night, the screen sometimes going fuzzy as sleep began to creep in. I'm sick, probably due to the lack of rest and the hordes of kids moving through school around me, several sick themselves. All i want is to feel better and rested..I know that i should just get my homework done and get to bed as soon as possible.

But it's nice out.
The sun is shining, there's little wind, and the slush has faded from this past weekend's (relative) warmth. Conditions are perfect (flight of the conchords anyone?).

I need my play time, and my playground's waiting. So on go the shoes, on slide the gloves, and up zips the jacket. I didn't really have enough layers on-nothing underneath my khakis except the usual goods, but this didn't occur to me until i was gone-gone from being sick and tired, and gone into the open air.

It definitely had been some time since i'd been out to move; i felt a little silly (yep definitely been awhile; usually pride never stops me) sprinting down my street to slide on the ice strips that marked the dry pavement, starting small, but growing in my daring as i even chanced a smile. Maybe my neighbors didn't see me.

After walking on some rails, scurrying up a small rise, and crossing a short parking lot, i had arrived. Arneson Acres was there before me, stretched out like a vast welcome wagon-i hadn't been back since early fall. Suddenly a giddiness just bubbled up inside of me and i took off down the snow covered slopes leading into the double-dipping "valley", smiling and laughing as i picked up speed.

After i came to a stop, being careful to avoid the countless divots in the frozen snow, i came to an interesting tree that i had climbed a bit before, but this time i noticed that one of the major branches (can't really call it a trunk) was completely bent, arcing down to the ground, making a little archway. I then dropped to all fours, shuffling, crawling, and rolling through this little passageway, making believe that i was a commando, an orc, a traceur, maybe even a minotaur whynot. At times i would pause and laugh at where my imagination was taking me.

It wasn't long before i had moved onto other trees that i had never even considered climbing; now that their foliage had fallen i could see paths that weren't previously visible. About 10 feet up in one particular tree i was relaxing, taking in the 5 degree weather, when i turned and found myself a couple inches from a large cove of frozen sap on the underside of a thick branch. I was a little disappointed to find that it was relatively tasteless (no more inhibitions here though i suppose i could have been naked, but..eh).

After coming down from this tree i raced through the woods, dodging and weaving through the snow and in between pines, until i came to my most-frequented tree: a 50-55 ft pine(?) that looked the exact same on this cold winter day as it did in the summer. A quick hustle to around the 40 ft point, and i decided it was time to head back.

On the walk home, i felt much better; a lightness had come and complemented some of the fatigue from my play, and a daytime moon was hovering over my street. My legs were cold, my face was getting numb, but it was worth it-i'd had my fun and played; not trained, but played. And it felt great.