Puppies in the Sky

On a briskly cold St. Louis day, one small boy's dream came true. Standing at the top of Art Hill, he looked out upon the world as far as a small boy could see. Snow. One steep hill, one blue plastic toboggan, and nothing but hay stacks below.

One push and he sailed down the perfectly snow packed hill, bouncing gently over the bumps in the earth below the snow. All the way to the bottom, the wind kissed his cheeks making them ruby read to match his nose. Ice cold snow-spray kicked up from the heels that dug into the snow, painted his jacket and hat white with frost. The heels dug deeper and the toboggan carrying one small boy pounded into the hay stacks. He giggled with joy, as he fell over backward onto the soft compacted snow. "Look," he exclaimed as his eyes scanned the brilliant blue sky, "puppy clouds in the sky. This is the best day ever."