It’s been a while since I put on skates and headed out on a nearby pond. I won’t deny, I have been tempted the past couple of days. It’s been cold, but not polar vortex cold. But enough to freeze, at least overnight. And we haven’t had a lot of precipitation, so the ice looks pretty good.
Years ago, back in the days when indoor skating wasn’t much of a thing around the area, we would be on the outdoor ice from about mid-November through until about April. There might be the odd day when we wouldn’t be able to get out, but those were far between. Not something you could do with any consistency these days. You just don’t get the solid freeze for long periods of time. But it was a big part of our lives.
In our case, there was a little swamp behind a couple of our houses. In the fall, we’d help clear out the alders that had sprouted during the spring and summer, dam up the little brook that ran through it and get a place to skate for the winter. The water only ever got a few inches deep, which probably made our parents feel better about the entire situation. Although there were other places around town that were also used as makeshift rinks that were not quite as ideal.
But that little bit of water was perfect for us. We’d spend pretty much the entire winter there. We’d clear off the snow when it snowed. We’d do our best to get the home made hockey nets off the ice if we got a thaw. That way they wouldn’t fall over and freeze into the ice making it impossible to use them. There were also a few times when the ice surface would need to be flooded because we spent too much time on it, carving it to bits. That would require running a hose from a nearby house and trying to get the little pond covered just right with a fresh coat of water, while icicles formed on the tip of your nose.
Then there was always the adventure of trying to find the puck when it went through a spot in the ice near where that brook was running. Or maybe along the edge of a rock. Good thing the water was never much more than elbow deep.
While there are a lot of great memories attached, I could skip most of those things. Like clearing the bushes and shoveling the snow. But throwing on he skates and going to a cruise around the ice is still rather appealing. Only I never seem to get around to it.
Maybe it’s time to see if those skates still fit.