Winter Shortages

With the volume of snow we have seen this season, some communities have found themselves short on road salt. But in Philadelphia there has been a shortage of "sleds".  The "Flexible Flyer" - which was patented in this area in 1889 was later known as "The Cadillac of Sleds" and those of us growing up in the 1930s begged for one at Christmas.  They came in several sizes and the back runners curved up to avoid being impaled. You could sit and steer with your feet on the handle bar or "bellyflop" prone and steer with your hands. With light vehicular traffic back then we often rode our sleds in the streets that were hilly which was dangerous in the minimal daylight of winter. At a cost of $15. then. they now start at around $80. But, alas, today most are made in China.
tjs