Skating

Skating Away

 

Skating Away

Skating Away

Skating Away, On the thin ice of a new day...

Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull

 There was no skating last year, and it seems there was very little skating the year before. We've had an odd mix of snow, sleet and rain this year, with some recent fluctuations in the weather, that has left the ice really excellent, with just enough ripples to keep you on your toes.

After the last snow, I cleared off a path with the snowblower all around the perimeter. It was ready for the waxing moon, and i was able to skate one early evening by moonlight. I kept thinking to myself that there was nothing like skating by moonlight--I kept pinching myself, it felt like a gift. 

I remembered years ago, that my father took us skating, as kids, to a public park in Holmdel. NJ. I recall  being amazed at how well he skated--very gracefully, and was able to skate backwards as well! I remembered, in the moonlight, that he would take each of our skates between his legs, and use a tool that hooked the cross of the laces and pulled them tight. He went eye by eye and tightened them, sending us on our way. I wondered if I'd ever told my son that his grandfather was a good ice skater, and for some reason, this seemed very important suddenly.