So I’ll never forget this really cool thing my grandfather did for us. We were living in South Bend, Indiana about to embark on our first winter there. My grandparents came for a visit, and our grandfather began building “an organic garden”. As gullible little kids, we bought this story.
So Grandpa Joe measured and measured, cut wood and cut wood. He built a square foundation while hammering nails and hammering nails. He then added plastic to the bottom. I figured he had laid seeds under the plastic and in some magical way the “garden” would sprout.
When winter arrived water was added to the garden and with a good freeze, our ice skating rink was born. It was so much fun to be able to walk into the back yard and pretend to be Dorothy Hamill. Okay, so she wasn’t an Olympic champion until 1976, but she was becoming a household name. You get the idea. We also had awesome ice hockey matches.
We would continue to skate until our toes were numb with cold, only to go inside for just enough time to warm up and thaw out. At some point during the day, our neighbors would arrive “to play”. They just happened to bring their ice skates. Needless to say, our house was the place to be that winter and subsequent others.
When I was 10 years old, we moved to Florida, so our ice skating winters were in the past. But I still often think of that rink made with love by Grandpa Joe. So many memories were made there…
Stay groovy…
–Susie
(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)
Harmonious Groove 