January - National Skating Month

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Yes, you read that right, it's National Skating Month. Marj took it quite seriously and rollerskated Friday night and went ice skating Sunday.
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So we went by the Cool Yule's and asked if she was ready to go skating.
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I think this is a definite "yes."
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Athletic prowess, ballet grace, the sport of Madame de Pompadour, ice skating rocks no matter how you look at it.
Originally, in Scandinavia, skaters used flattened bone strapped on their feet to glide across the ice. In the 13th or 14th century, the Dutch replaced bone with sharp steel blades and transformed skating from gliding over the ice to cutting into the ice. Eventually, it spread to the Netherlands, England and finally it gripped the heart of Madame de Pompadour in Paris, 18th century.-

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Blah, blah, blah your way to the 20th century and it has spread to upstate NY where Madame de Pouffe' (Poof) (Me!)herself embraces the sport on local ponds with local riff raff, bringing the sport to all classes of people. 'Cause I'm like that.

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We would walk down North Road, skates strung over our shoulders, a box of matches, a shovel and a handful of chocolate. We'd walk the legendary "two miles in a snowstorm" and arrive at a skinny little pond. (septic, I now wonder?) We'd get the weakest link to shovel the snow off the pond while the major hotties built a fire and the ladies swooned. Then it was hours of fun or at least minutes until Billy, usually, would fall through the ice.-

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Here we are in another century and 6 states south with the next generation of Madame de Poofettes wanting to go skate 'cause it's National Skating Month & the yuppies have brought it indoors. And guess what. I tossed my skates a year ago on a random, freak cleaning binge.

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That'll teach me.
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So, OK, whippersnappers, bring it on. Yeah, they think I'm an ol' fuddy duddy until we get on the ice. Ice, ice, baby. Then it's turnabout. Then it's "Oh, yeah, she's my mom."
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I'm so humiliated to be wearing those skates.
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My first student's a real Southern Belle, Logan. She is so doggone happy to be on the ice. Bless her heart. She started out in the notorious Frankenstein pose, clodding across the ice, straight backed, stiff knees, arms straight out on the sides.

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I taught her to rockover and bite, really dig her blade in, kick up the friction and, well... get a grip. Then... y'gotta flex your knees. I accidentally said "bounce." Next time I saw her, across the rink, she was doing deep knee bends in rapid succession & a brisk pace. Bless her heart. No, baby, don't bounce, just flex, let 'em be your shock absorbers. Ah, Nascar language. That did the trick.
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So I went over to check on Patti & Eva. She was approaching these twins & their alluring little walker.

"Hey little girl, Want some candy?"

That little girl was not to be persuaded to fork over her walker. And besides, just look at Eva, she is saying "Oh no I'm so not using one of those."
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That's my girl, baby, you are a descendent of Madame de Poof, the notorious ice skater of North Road. Don't be caught dead with that wimpish piece of PVC mockery.
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So it was quite a shock to find my very own daughter knocking over the little knee biter and taking off with the walker herself, an evil laugh trailing behind her. She's got too much of her father in her, darn that genetic mixing.
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I took my turn with the Cool Yule and taught her a thing or two about curvilinear flow.

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When I later checked in on Patti & Eva, Patti was having a great time chatting with the girls. . . & Eva, she was having a little trouble.

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Eva was beginning to panic. Panic generally isn't good in dicey situations. In fact, panic usually leads to brash, illogical decisions.
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& Eva decided she was getting the heck out of there.

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But Patt got her back out and did an exellent job of teaching her to skate. I was very impressed. Patti's got her father's teaching genes. During the rest of our skate, every now & then I'd spot Eva and let Patti go off and skate fast.

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Pretty soon Marj was figure skating.

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And pretty soon Eva was skating all by herself using the Frankenstein method Logan found so useful in the beginning of the evening.

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If you haven't seen enough pictures, here is a small video clip. Enjoy!

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