One of the fun things we do here...

I know I've done my fair share of complaining about the cold, some- times bitterly so, winters of Ohio. And I imagine you've probably heard me gripe some about the non-stop, 365- days-a-year blowing winds of Shelby County. So why would I write about a dead of winter event and say how much fun it is. I can assure you that it's much easier to write this now that it's spring and golfing/fishing time.

Skating on our pond is a blast.

I think these pictures are a few years old, but they give you an idea of some of the amounts of snow and how we enjoy having the neighbors (Jim and the boys) come over to skate, sled on the ice and sometimes do the whip (boy those little guys can really go flying).

One winter, our son came home from New York for a few days and the ice was about 8 or 9 inches thick and there was no snow on it (remember, this is Shelby County -- the wind blew all the snow off the ice). He is normally a size 9 shoe, but he had three or four pairs of wool socks and my size 12 hockey skates on and gave it a shot. He went to the far west end of the pond, opened his coat and held it out like a sail. The wind literally shot him across the pond. The dog thought that was fun, chasing him back and forth. She finally figured out he was getting help on the west-to-east trips. So being a smart lab, she went over to lie by the fire. I think the two snorts she gave out indicated she had had enough.

Pam and I really enjoy getting to skate on our own pond. Kinda makes the shoveling and cold weather worth it. It's especially fun when we have a roaring fire in the fire ring and Pam makes hot chocolate.

Winter must be really cold for those with no warm memories.

Hooah