Back in the day, Kleal J. dropped us off at the Haylands. We laced up our skates and charged across acres of ice all afternoon. There were slick areas with patches of poking-up-weeds that had to be avoided, which taught us maneuverability skills. Deb, Dix, Dot, Pam, Marie, Ann, Cathy, Karla, and Mel just to name a few of the budding Dorothy Hamills, all looked forward to December 29 (Deb’s birthday) and our day on the ice, followed by Jayne’s chili. That’s a rural ice-skating party.

Let’s compare it to big-city ice skating. For instance, at Rockefeller Center in New York you get the big Christmas tree, the glitzy skyscape and the world-famous rink for $112 to $204 an hour if you purchase a VIP ticket and that does include complimentary skate rental. If your pocketbook isn’t screaming VIP, you can get regular tickets anywhere from $22 to $124 a ticket depending on the day and time. Don’t plan on skating for $22 an hour unless you get up before the sun and you have your own skates. There’s a $12 skate rental charge if you left the blades at home. You get the idea, big-city ain’t cheap, and I don’t imagine there are many parties on the rink. You’d have to save a long time just to get yourself in.

As far as experience goes, who wouldn’t want acres of ice versus a rink where you skate in a monotonous circle? There are no rules at the Haylands, you can race, play tag, dig your blades in the ice and just lay down and look at the clouds if you want. There is no hour time limit, it’s skate till your toes freeze. Granted the gorgeous Christmas tree and the heated lounge (only for VIPs) are enticing perks, but you could bring your own tent and tree if you really wanted that experience. 

Life is Good in rural America, but we did have one annoyance that needed work. Kleal J. did not always show up on time for the round-trip ride back to Deb’s. I remember one year our toes were frozen, the sun was going down and we needed Jayne’s chili, but we weren’t a high priority in Kleal’s world. So, we started skating the borrow-pits heading north for home. We hadn’t gone far when our Uber by Kleal finally showed up. When we got to Jayne’s kitchen table the chili was better, the hot chocolate was warmer, and Life was about as Good as it gets! Give me the rural life! 

And yes, we had all piled in one car. It was cozy.