I is for...ice

This one took me awhile to figure out, but I is for Ice. Ice on the water. Ice for skating, ice for cream, ice for drinks...just ice.

I appreciate ice in the summertime, or on a warm/hot day like today. Sitting in the sun for 2 hours watching our town's Labor Day Parade made me grateful for the ice in the drinks tub--I didn't care so much about cold drinks as sucking on ice putting ice down backs [and fronts] and just generally cooling off with ice!

As a hockey Mom, I am intimately familiar with ice rinks. I love them in the summer when I really want to cool off! In the winter they're OK, because they are pretty much the same temperature as in the summer--and so familiar.

I remember ice skating on Lake Indiana as a young child. My Aunt & Uncle lived on the lake. I learned to skate there--withh every dog on the lake following my Cousin D around--and she was my skating teacher! I think now that that is the perfect way for a hockey player to learn--not that I ever played hockey! But I thought I did. Remember...this was on an open lake--no boards. My job was to chase after and retrieve wild pucks. Of course the game had gone on with another puck, but I saved quite a few in my day.

I also went ice skating on the Elkhart [IN] River. A particular section was cordoned off and cleared for safe skating. You know how you carry skates--laces tied together and skates draped over the shoulder. Once I returned home with just one ice skate! Now that takes true talent.

Then we moved to California and my ice skating days were over. In vain each year I would watch for a pool to freeze over. Even a large puddle...but, no, it was not to be. So ice became most useful for crunching, for shaving and adding syrups: the 7-11 Slurpee, and home made ones. Shaved ice also made great ice cones in the summer.

So Ice went from a winter joy to a summer treat.

I still like to crunch on ice and hang out at ice arenas, though my puck chasing days are long over. I'm thirsty--guess it is time for that perennial favorite: ice water.