Bog Skating

One of the things I love about living here – and about which I knew nothing until the winter after we moved here – is skating on the cranberry bogs.

When it gets really cold, the bog owners flood the active bogs in an effort to help protect the plants from the extremes of the weather. And when it’s been in the 20s for a week or so, the ice on the bog is solid enough for skating.

In spite of my love of this activity, I hadn’t been bog skating in about four years, since before, yup, C was sick. It’s not that I didn’t want to. Three years ago, I was pregnant and not about to get on skates. Two years ago, I had a baby to care for, and never could figure out the logistics so I could get out there. Last year was too warm, and the one cold snap that enabled any skating at all occurred while we were away on vacation. Even then, there were exactly four skating days last year.

So finally it happened. The weather has been appropriately cold, we managed to acquire appropriately fitting gear for our growing boys, and general weekend logistics allowed me to take the boys out for a skate while S had some serious Daddy time.

It was lovely to be out. Our skills are quite rusty, but the boys were sports, laughing off most of their falls and always getting right back up. It was cold and crisp, but the cold wasn’t cold enough to be uncomfortable in our many layers and thus dissuade us. A couple of the boys’ friends met us on the bog and had extra sticks, so they tried to play hockey a bit. M had a great strategy for when he couldn’t get to the sliding puck: just toss the stick at it!

The ice on the bog nearest to us isn’t he best, and we did have to watch out for random vegetation and vines sticking through the ice, but I loved looking at the remnant cranberries encased just below the surface.

The sky couldn’t decide whether it was going to cloud over or clear up, so we had some lovely late afternoon light.

Being out and active helped address my need for more fresh air. And the boys’ need as well. And I am sure it helped with the button-pushing issues, if only for a little while.

We hope to get out on the ice several more times this week. Maybe, if I can find some tiny skates at the used sporting good shop, I'll get S out there, too.