For my brother Colin and I, playing with sticks in the dirt was the wintertime equivalent of building sandcastles at the beach. Instead of using shovels and buckets, we used sticks and our fingers to build castle-resembling heaps and dig out moats. Poking holes in the ground and then watching them fill up with ground water reminded us of our sandy creations being washed away by the sea. The soppy sound of sticks stirring through watery mud proved to be the perfect background music for this activity.