December 5 - Ice Skating

It will be a few more weeks until the lakes are fully frozen - and even then, I'm not sure I'm ready to walk out onto them. However, I have always loved ICE SKATING. The folks at Minocqua Winter Park said that the the ice rink should be opening soon, so maybe we can enjoy skating there this winter. (Do our skates need sharpening? It's been a while since we used them!)

I have a poem for you, Ice-Skaters by Elder James Olson. Be sure to click through to the subsequent pages to read the whole thing - the poem spans four pages of the November 1960 issue of Poetry Magazine. 

I have taken several adult ballet classes over the years, and when we were living in Lexington, I was the stage manager for several of the ballet school's annual performances. That was where I first learned about Les Patineurs, a short ballet that depicts a Victorian skating party on a frozen pond on a winter's evening. The whole thing is only about 25 minutes, and fortunately there is a version available on YouTube so we can all see it:

Or, perhaps your ice-skating preferences lend themselves more toward Peanuts: 

After skating, or just on any day when you want to feel cozy, I highly recommend a cup of hot chocolate. Once I learned how simple it was to make from scratch, I stopped buying hot chocolate mix. Here's how I make it:

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients, per serving:

• ¼ cup water
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 8 oz milk (use part half-and-half or cream for extra richness)
• ½ t vanilla
• Optional dash of salt, sprinkle of cinnamon and/or cardamom

Method: In a small pot, whisk water, sugar, and cocoa powder and heat just to boiling. Lower heat and add milk, vanilla, and spices. Whisk to combine; heat to a comfortable drinking temperature. Serve hot.

Tasty additions:

• Marshmallows
• Candy canes
• Grated chocolate
• More cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom
• 1 oz liqueur (Grand Marnier, Kahlua, spiced rum, brandy - lots of things taste good with hot chocolate!)