Last Friday, I went to book club. The most amusing discussion topics were not about the book. Various topics were discussed, including a brief discussion on "The Christmas List," which was the book picked for the month. Here are a couple of other discussions we had:
I could not believe my ears when I heard the woman next to me say, "Why do we need a new library? Who wants to pay for a new library? We need a pool!" Keep in mind this comment was made at a book club. It seems strange to hear someone say that at a book club.
I, for one am very excited about a new library. There is already an indoor pool close by. The new library will be bigger. It encourages people to educate themselves, find jobs, borrow books, movies, and music, or connect with friends online (if they don't have a computer). Pools are expensive to maintain. People don't frequent pools as much as libraries, there are fees for public pools, and there is risks of drowning. Why would I want to pay for a new pool, when there is already another close by? I want my money to go toward something that gives back. The library does that.
Another topic was on ice-skating.
The place where we meet has a beautiful pond out back. Since winters are normally pretty mild around here, it is a rare site to see large bodies of water frozen over. I originally come from an area where frozen lakes are frequent, so to me, frozen water is a perfectly normal site for me.
To me, it was quite obvious, just by looking at it, that the pond was not safe enough to go ice skating on. Sure, it was covered in ice, but I could tell just by looking at it, that it was too thin. I guess when the family bought the house, they saw a photo of kids skating on that pond, but in the 5 years they have lived there, it has not frozen since.
Some of the ladies speculated. "How do people that live in those areas with lakes test the ice? There must be some scientific theory!" Another one said, "Well, you cannot skate on it if there is snow on it, because that means it is too warm."
Scientific theory? Snow on top makes it too warm? I tried to interject, being one who has skated on a lake before. I could not fit a word in edgewise. So I decided to stay quiet.
Skating on lakes does have some risks, but there are some basic rules that should be followed:
(As a disclaimer, I am not a expert on checking ice for ice skating, but there are some things that seems pretty obvious to me, that I guess is not to people who never seen or have skated on ice before.)
The temperature should be below freezing. The thickest ice is white. I have only skated on ice that is white, the whole lake was white, but it still needs to be tested before being skated on.
The ice should be no less 4 inches thick (obviously, the thicker the better - you can test this by chopping the ice), since there can be thin spots in the lake, it should be tested in several different areas.
It is best to stay closest to the edge of the ice, usually along the shoreline, that way if you fall in, you can stand up and get out easier.
Make sure you bring some friends or family with you, just in case something goes wrong.
It is also advised by some other websites to bring safety equipment, such as ice poles, ice claws and lifelines (We never went with those things, but it does sound like a good idea).
Be aware of change in conditions, if the weather seems to be getting warmer, or the ice has a light layer of water, it is time to go home.
If ice does have snow on it, it may or may not be too warm too skate on it, but if it is thick enough and cold enough, you can sweep it off with a broom.
Remember, all bodies of water in different areas vary from one another. Rivers are dangerous to skate on because of the running water underneath.
If there is an ice skating rink nearby, it is safer to use that.
