RUNNEMEDE REMEMBERED

Growing up in a small town in Southern New Jersey


Monday, January 12, 2015

Icing

I think I wrote about this a long time ago, but I'm going to write about it (again?).


Icing has nothing to do with cake.


Where I live in Kentucky we get a lot of ice storms.  We just dodged one this weekend.  Get it?  Icing?


I can only really remember one ice storm in Runnemede and I think I was in 8th grade at the time.  I know I was attending Downing school, and I only went there for K-2, and then 8th grade.  So, I'm pretty sure I was in 8th grade because I didn't have ice skates in K-2. 


We were sent home shortly after lunch time.  Now, I lived across from Downing, and went home for lunch and didn't notice ice when I went back to school for the afternoon.  However, by whatever time they dismissed us (and I know it was pretty early in the afternoon) the playground and steps were a sheet of ice, so was 2nd Ave. I slid from the steps at the Girls' door down to the steps leading onto the side walk at 2nd Avenue, then walked very carefully home, getting onto grass as soon as possible -- more traction there.


The storm must have dumped quite a bit of ice, because school was closed for a couple of days.  Somebody, I can't remember who, decided to try ice-skating on the playground, and once I saw that it worked I called Linda Lott and we had four great days of ice-skating after that storm. 


It was during that spate of days -- and let me assure you I was skating from early a.m. to dark -- I taught myself to spin, skate backwards, jump (one twist) and that's about it.


I wish I could still skate, alas my bones are too brittle to even think about it.


I hope some of you who have an "icing" his winter, get to try some ice-skating.  I recall it was great fun, even with all the bumps and bruises!


ttfn