Playing on the bridge

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the library with the two little neighbor kids. It's only a mile away, and they usually walk with their mother and baby brother, but even a mile is too far in subzero weather if you aren't dressed properly. So we went in my car, leaving their mother home to have some quiet time with the baby.

The frigid weather this week has been difficult on both humans and animals. Staying inside all the time makes everyone miserable. It felt good to get out of the house, even if it was just to the little Traintrack Village Library. On the way home, Little Biker Boy said, "Hey, aren't we near where the Green Bridge is?"

Everyone calls it the Green Bridge even though it's so rusted that it's not very green anymore. A pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, it looks like a big cage made of chain link fencing. A train was coming along the tracks just as we pulled in. The kids ran up and down the ramps, their breath coming out in big dragon puffs, and yelled and waved to the train that went by underneath. The metal grates clanged under our feet, and the train beneath the bridge rumbled.

That's what I love about spending time with little kids: something simple like the Green Bridge becomes fun. Ponytail's cheeks were bright red, and she was laughing as she ran, her hair coming down into her face in wisps. Little Biker Boy kept saying, "Didn't I have a good idea?" They stood on the top of a ramp to watch the sun setting over the train yard, and then we climbed back into the warm car, filled with icy fresh air.