Skating with Harley and Katie's birthday.

The Ghosts of Winter Past


Once upon a time I lived in hilly, pine tree covered Wausau, Wisconsin.
Every day at noon I would head over to the ice rink at the fair grounds to skate.
Typically four or five skaters would be there; a mother and a child, a young man skating figures, an elderly gentleman and me.

The young man showed me how to skate a figure eight. I learned to use the edges on my skates.
Harley, the elderly man, taught me to skate the waltz. The waltz is skated much faster than you would imagine and very close to your partner.

Stroke, swing, inside edge, loop.
Stroke, turn, outside edge, glide.

I was nervous and scared and worked very hard to keep up with Harley's speed and steps.

I loved it so much.

It was possibly the coolest thing I have ever done.

(post from quiet life 2005)

Did you know my blog is twenty years old?

My first profile picture.

Christmas pictures thru the years.....

Katie turns twenty-five tomorrow.

She was four when I started blogging.

We continue to  enjoy one another's company and make one another giggle.

She and her boyfriend will come over for chicken and dumplings tomorrow.

We might put together a puzzle and make the last of the rolo turtles.

We will live that quiet life when we are not laughing out loud.

Happy birthday honey.

I love you.

Mom

Flash Back Friday. Blog post.

Last night I was looking for the October Party poem and I happened upon this post.

I thought it was sweet enough to repeat.  It was originally posted Oct. 30, 2009.

****

"Will you tell me about my grandparents?" she asked with a tear in her eye.

"I have told you many things about my parents," I said.

"Like what?" she urged.

"Well....Let's see. My dad was very funny. He was a big tease.

Remember what I told you about the toll booth?"

"No"

"My dad said that the toll booth was a popcorn machine. When you threw your money in,

you would get popcorn. But he never waited for the popcorn.

This would make us all scream."

"He also said when we passed by cows, "Look at all of the alligators."

"He loved dancing and music and sports. And he loved his family.

We taught him to do a front flip into the pool."

"Did he learn it?" she wondered.

"Not very well. I think he landed on his back. But he tried very hard. He was not very old."

"And my mom. She was funny, too. Like Aunt Cindy is funny."

"Oh!!!" exclaimed Katie with a smile.

"She drove us to school every day. She loved us very much. She would have loved you very much. You remind me of her, I was just thinking that today when I was looking at your pictures. You are a little Esther in my eyes."

She started to tear up.

"I am sorry you don't have grandparents," I told her.

"They would have just loved you. Maybe you will see the someday in heaven."

Then we hugged and I kissed her sweet head and she went to ask her daddy about his parents.

I forgot to tell her how much my mother liked to dress up for Halloween and how she liked to tap dance at parties.

Now that I think about it, perhaps the fact that Katie wore Kitty cat ears all day is what made me think of my mother.

When we came up to bed and went to kiss her goodnight last night,

she was still wearing the cat ears.

Encourage one another,

Donna