re-posted from 1/15/15

1/15/15  

     As we headed into the slower pace of winter, with the dairy cows dried off (which means no daily trips to the milking parlor, and no huge batches of cheese), and the market schedule reduced to one Saturday farmers market, Kinley had hoped for a chance to catch up on all the jobs that had been left undone, or half done. He mentioned to the boys and me that we need firewood, the driveway is full of potholes, the farm equipment needs to be gone over for repairs and oil changes, the animal shelters need to be cleaned out and the manure spread in the fields, and the tanks that hold the whey (a by product of cheesemaking, and very good for the soil) need to be emptied.

     The children had a different priority. Two years ago they developed an interest in ice hockey, and used greenhouse plastic and boards to make a small rink inside one of our cattle sheds. It was very popular, but teams had to be limited to 3 on a side, since any more left no room on the ice.

     Somehow, this year, they talked Kinley into a larger outdoor rink. It started in late November as a simple, quick project, but took on a life of its own, and grew to the point that all the neighbors started stopping in to ask what was going on. The boys planned, excavated, leveled and lined a 60×100 rink enclosed with concrete barricades, and are in the process of putting up lights. Last Saturday, they flooded the rink, and they are looking forward to the bitter cold next week so they can start skating.

Of course Kinley is hoping it won’t freeze, because not much of the previously mentioned list of tasks got done, and the possibility of skating might diminish their enthusiasm for chores. Maybe they could work a deal with their friends where visitors can earn rink time by doing chores. I couldn’t help but mention that they should get some sponsors and put up billboards along the sides, to help defray some of the cost, but they are not much into marketing, and said that was my job….so if any of you are looking for a place to spend your advertising dollars, I’ll save you a space ;).