The other day we had unseasonably warm weather - a record high of 62 degrees by late afternoon. Of course, having such freakish warmth in January generated not only the rapid melting of some 9 inches of snowpack, it also produced an unusual wintertime thunderstorm, complete with driving rains. By late evening our backyard looked like a small lake - although it was actually only low spots in the grass with a few inches of water.
Yesterday the temperatures dipped to "normal" and we even got more snow. And then I got an idea last night while walking the dog and sensing the declining thermometer readings.
And as I suspected during my dog walk, the small "pond" in the yard turned into a smooth glaze of ice, just thick enough to support the weight of a certain 5-year old I know.
So I scurried up to the attic and produced a pair of those "kiddie skates" - the double blades set wide apart that strap on to shoes or boots.
I stated to my daughter over breakfast, "What would you think about bundling up and ice skating in the backyard?"
She was perplexed and asked a flurry of questions about the logistics of my proposed activity. But I guess I convinced her well enough to stuff her into a warm snowsuit, layering on a balaclava (ski mask type thing), fleece socks, double-padded mittens and then head outdoors.
Luckily for us, the sunny skies made the otherwise arctic atmosphere bearable, and we had a fun time stumbling about on the ice.
Here is the skater before:
and AFTER - note the ACTION shot - the skates are still in the air!!! (Don't worry, she was fine and giggled about it.)
