A Pumpkin Roll in the Snow

The dream this morning takes place at a location I once lived and worked at for many years. It is a winter sports park called Hanson Hills in Grayling, Michigan. I loved working here and I lived in the Ski lodge. I had many jobs here from cooking in the snack bar kitchen to making snow and ski lift operating. I worked hard and it was lowest paid job and most loved job I ever had! In fact, my labour was often without pay in exchange for discounted rent for my room.

In my dream, it is winter and the park is open, for a new annual special event in my honour. The ski hill is covered with bright orange, yellow and black Halloween decorations. Halloween is my birthday. There is rarely snow on the ground at Halloween and to see the ski hill covered in well groomed snow that time of year would be an exceedingly rare event. The odds of this occurring are as about as likely, as me, winning the Powerball lottery, but hey, it is my dream.

I see zigzagging lines in the snow, there is a kind of course laid out amongst all the Halloween decorations, and it is leading up the hill not down it, as one might expect. This new annual event is a pumpkin roll! Every participant is given a small bowling ball size pumpkin and the idea is to roll the pumpkin up hill to certain check points. This scored somewhat like golf with the lowest score being declared the winner. The last check point being the most difficult as it is at the steepest point on the ski hill. Such a competition would be madding to try to complete in real life. A friend and I develop a bowling technique in which we roll the pumpkin a long distance by the short stem like it was really a bowling ball. It works for us. We get through almost all the check points and reach the base of the summit by nightfall. I can see campfires scattered about the bottom of the hill and the faint fire light helps us to see as we progress. I wake up before my bowling partner and I can reach the top. It looked like we were going to win this crazy contest.



I will be 52 this year on my Halloween birthday. I have always loved having my birthday on this holiday. The dream seemed a fun and very odd way to celebrate.

Halloween or All Hallows Eve also known as All Saints Day. It is a world wide celebration that traditionally honoured and remembered the dead. It has ancient pagan roots with a connection to harvest festivals. The day is regarded ,as the time of year, when the veil between the living and the dead is at it's most thin, and communication between the dimensions is at it's strongest.

Well, I saw the first shipment of pumpkins arrive at work on September first. I was shocked that pumpkins could be grow and shipped so early in the season. I think their appearance triggered a flood of memories from when I worked at the ski park. The ski lodge was decorated and they hosted Halloween parties and snowmaking preparations would soon be underway. I think this dream was a playing out of these memories by my unconscious. I really miss those experiences. More than I thought I would.

My years at the ski park were full of hard work, fun activities and fond memories. Life these days is a mostly hard work and worries for the future. I wish I could have a bit of more fun and positive social interaction and fewer worries with life. That is all I can think to say about all this business today.