Skating
by Kissell
The countryside in Essex County is so flat the winter wind can whip across or against anything and freeze it on contact. We had great frozen ponds to skate on when we were kids – I would follow my brother down to the pond at the end of our street. Our neighbor, Bob McCarthy would ride over the ice with his tractor to make certain it had frozen thick enough for us kids to safely play hockey and skate around in circles on.
There is a large oval patch of grass in between my Grandmother’s house and my parents’ home and for a handful of winters it froze over, allowing me a personal ice rink for late-night skates after dinner. My parents would shine a spotlight on it; I felt magical, important and beautiful.
But, I haven’t skated in years.
I found out the other day that in Cleveland the public park named Wade Oval, which is located in University Circle, has a skating rink in the wintertime. The Rink at Wade Oval is open from now through March 9th and with skate rentals at $3.00 and skating itself free, I’m thrilled for the chance to head out into the cold over the next three months, bundled and recapturing my winter youth.
Yet, there is more to The Rink than just the ice. There is live music on Wednesday evenings in December, two movie nights December 28th and January 25th with showings of Happy Feet and Miracle (yes, I am picturing tangled legs and arms and blades close to nicking skin as too many folks look up at the screen and not ahead) and for Valentine’s Day the rink will be painted pink – ooh, la, la.
Outdoor skating is a cold region winter activity no doubt. Us who live in the snowy provinces and states rely on recreation like this to make the fiercely cold days fun. Concordia University in Montreal, Québec, published a report in 2012 that shows “the outdoor skating season (OSS) in Canada has significantly shortened in many regions of the country as a result of changing climate conditions.” Studying the winter seasons from 1951 to 2005 resulted in a finding that “future global warming has the potential to significantly compromise the viability of outdoor skating in Canada.”
I treasure the four seasons that we experience in our Great Lakes region. Some folks are used to and enjoy one to two seasons of minimal change but my body is thrilled with the new sensory experiences every few months. I would be saddened if soon enough there was only the chance for indoor skating. It is a mesmerizing feeling, the falling snow; cheeks pink and chilled from the cold, breath fogging against the thin air, the hush of skates up into the sky.
A little something to warm up with after skating.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Make two mugs
2 cups of milk
1 tbsp. sugar
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
Whipped cream
Crushed candy cane or peppermint candy
Heat milk and sugar slowly over low heat – don’t let it boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate to melt, then add peppermint extract. Pour into two mugs. Top with whipped cream and crushed peppermint candy.
I look forward to reading about your favourite rinks to skate around on in your chilly neck of the woods.
(Great spot to build an outdoor rink. Maidstone, Ontario)
Great Lakes Living 
Living in Essex County, the most southern part of Ontario, means to be surrounded by the waters of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. Standing in our backyard I can watch storms follow the coastlines of these two bodies of water. Living in Essex County also means I live in a four- season climate.
I like that while we can anticipate the seasons we can only approximate their arrival and departure. In December a patch of grass can, within a night, become an ice rink.
The rink’s surface may be smooth and perfectly oval or it might be uneven and irregular. The wind defines the rink. Sometimes branches are blown down from the century old trees that umbrella our oval patch of lawn. Sometimes a cold motionless night will freeze lying water in its place.
Some years the rink is large enough for four people, sometimes it is large enough for two people. When the rink arrives, when anticipation becomes reality, our children
would gather their coats, gloves, hats and lace on their skates.
Like acrobats they would awkwardly angle their skates as they descended the front porch steps then unevenly tiptoe over the blue chip stone driveway to the rink. Then with one motion they would glide across the ice, attempt circles, look over their shoulders to find their sibling and inevitably fall. The rink is for children anticipation, for parents it is a reminder
Watching them skate from a living room window warmed by a fireplace make us think of other rinks, our rinks from so many years ago. Rinks are reminders of childhood, of time passed and rinks create a sense of continuity as we watched our two children circle and circle.
Kara, you should know that your skates are still hanging in the garage.
Mom and Dad