There wasn’t much difference between summer and winter for Gardiner kids. Most of us spent much of our time outdoors regardless of the weather. Winters did, however, present challenges well beyond those to be dealt with in the other seasons.
Maine winters were brutal. During the 50’s I think nor’easters were more prevalent than they are now and everyone was subjected to the possibility of contracting frost bite and hypothermia.
Snow storms and gale force winds dictated the need for many layers of warm, dry clothing. Important accessories included insulated underwear, mittens, scarves and pull down hats or hoods. Since I was only seven or eight my mittens were connected by a long piece of yarn that ran up one sleeve of my coat, across my back and down the other sleeve so they wouldn’t be lost if not being used.
Footwear was another vital concern because neither roads nor sidewalks were maintained at the levels we see today. Streets were often snow packed and icy for several days after a storm. Sidewalks were precarious throughout all the winter months. As a result women would wear ankle high boots but, as I remember, they lacked suitable tread for the traction required to navigate safely up or down Gardiner’s many hills.
It would be the introduction of creepers that came along to save the day for many of Gardiner’s female pedestrians. Easily affixed to lady’s shoes, these lifesavers were fashioned with cleats that gripped icy surfaces for safe walking. These creepers were easily removed and the cleats could be folded up when entering buildings.
For men and boys, Goodyear boots made from rubber with deep, thick treads were the standard. Some were insulated and others were not. Since mine were, they were called packs because the inside of the boots were lined with a soft insulating material called a pack. Nearly knee high these boots, when accompanied by the usual gray wool socks with red trim, generated enough warmth for most outdoor activities.
If school wasn’t cancelled during a storm, we would head out for school on a tear. Those six or eight blocks zipped by as we scurried to keep our clothes dry and warm because at lunch time we would have to repeat the round trip home and back for lunch.
When some of the kids showed up for school they had been working on the farm or doing household chores, cleaning stalls, feeding livestock or tending to home fires. From the odors in the well heated class rooms you could pick out the distinctive barn smells of horses, cows and pigs plus the smells of firewood, smoke and ash. I had a great respect for those hard working kids and their families.
At three in the afternoon school was dismissed and for us lucky ones that didn’t ride the bus or have other responsibilities we could play in the fresh mounds of snow, create snowmen or enjoy a good snowball fight on our way home.
If there was no school, my friends and I could travel over to Gully Hill off Spring Street or bum a ride to Mt. Tom at the Gardiner Mansion for a day of sledding. We might also go downtown to catch the sights and sounds of the city. Whatever we did, though, you can rest assured that most of us preferred the outdoors and I think our parents were happier as a result.
