Skating in Spring Village

Skating is all around me. the Daily Hampshire Gazette just did photos of the skating rink in Florence, MA. Olympic Skating is on T.V., and in the Olympic news.

In Spring Village, where I grew up, Mr. O'Donnell would have the fire department flood a section of the Mill field, so it could freeze and become a handy skating rink. He was a very nice man, and had an employee with many children (French Catholic?) that lived in the village.
This provided them, and the rest of the village with healthy outdoor activity.

The local boys would keep it clear of snow. This was probably due to their own interest in playing Hockey. They played a lot of Hockey. It was sometimes dangerous to be skating.

One year, Mr. O'Donnell had the Fire Department flood two separate spots for skating rinks. This made skating much safer.

The rinks were near to street lights, often we enjoyed skating in the evening. All ages, all socio-economic levels (though the spread was not that great in this little ethnic mill village) took part.

My older brother went on to sideline as a Hockey Coach or Teacher. I have a photo of his youngest boy skating at four years old in Hockey gear.

Beyond this field near the road, tucked away in the small section of woods off Mill Circle, was a pond. This is where my sister and I would often go. It was quiet and private. We enjoyed the wildlife while we skated about, and the walk home was shorter than from our lot at the Square Piece. It was often twilight when I would remove my skates to prepare to leave. Twilight reflected on darkening ice, evergreens and sparkling snow enclosing it, as though it were a mirror in a green and white frame. I yearn for this place, and it's colors, it's privacy, the stillness, the refuge.

Stella plays!

Once, only, in my childhood did I witness my mother, Stella at play!
Stella was stern, Stella was sad.
I had often been told that Stella had been a figure skater, though it was difficult for me to believe this.

She had taken us up to the Square Piece to skate.

The Square Piece was a few miles above the Mill Dam, and then there was still a walk to the apartment from there.
The current flowed through the middle of Square Piece, from the Red Dam on to the Mill Dam, and then on through the basement level of one of the Mill Buildings! I know because when my father had been night watchman there, I would bring his supper pail to him, and I saw this!

It was the year that my brothers' were making sailboats out of their sleds. They had been gliding around on the ice for hours! I had been fallling on the ice for hours!

When we were all sufficiently wet and frozen, Stella declared it was time to go home.

To our surprise, she unbuttoned her long wool coat, held the sides of the coat out,and made a sail out of herself! She sailed in front of us all the way to the Mill dam, right down the middle over the current! As she moved along, the ice at the shore edges BOOMED! and BOOMED, and KA-BOOMED!

We followed along after her, in shock and in fear that the ice would crack open under us. It was a quick trip to the Dam!

It must have been quite a sight for the deer!