Ice Skating

Living in the Boston area there is one iconic place to ice skate in the winter. The Boston Common Frog Pond sits in the oldest public park in the US and was my intended destination for the day but sadly it had already closed for the season. The recent stretch of warm weather has made maintaining the ice impossible and has resulted in most outdoor rinks have closed.

As an alternative we decided to try some indoor ice skating at the Daly Rink in Newton. Like the Frog pond it was an outdoor rink until 2010 when it was enclosed to provide an extended season and a more comfortable skating environment. My friend Grace knew they ran a Public Skating on Sunday’s so we checked the hours and learned that the Public Skate was from 2-4:45. 

We arrived to find the parking lot jammed with cars and people which set the expectation that the ice too would be packed. It cost a modest $5 for admission and another $5 for skate rentals. We took a seat on the benches after getting our rental skates and laced up. It didn’t take long before we were rink side ready to skate. 

It was perfect timing as the Zamboni was out resurfacing the ice. After several passes the ice looked great and the all clear was given for everyone to get on the ice. As expected the rink was packed with people of all ages. 

As we made our way carefully around the ice we each got more confident and were doing fairly well except for a few falls caused by young kids cutting us off. It was fall down or run over a child. As the time went on we played a game of tag with each of us getting more at ease on the ice and increasing our speed to less than a crawl. After about an hour we took a break on one of the team benches and watched as everyone skated by. It was also time again for the Zamboni to come out again.

As we got back on the ice we were all feeling pretty good and our game of tag was in full force. We skated and played another round of tag for another hour before deciding it was time to call it a day and turn in our skates. 

Seasonal Wreaths

Holiday wreaths and their adornment of homes and especially doors have occurred for hundreds of years. They are meant to be a symbol of growth and everlasting life and are often made from materials such as flowers, leaves, and evergreens. 

The wreath as an object spans history and is rooted in religion as far back as the Persian Empire. Originally a circlet or wreath was called a "diadem" and was worn as a headbands adorned in gold and jewels. Wreaths were even used to symbolize success and victory such as the laurel leaves used to crown victors of Olympic Games.

At some point they transitioned from jewelry and instead began to adorn walls as a decoration. Today, beautifully decorated wreaths are not only an integral part of the December holidays, but have grown in popularity throughout the year, decorated to fit each season.

The most common use of this symbol is the Advent wreath. Although its true origin is unknown, some believe it was inspired by the Swedish Crown of Lights, a candle-bearing crown worn by young Swedish girls on St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia was a young Christian martyr who gave her entire dowry to the poor.

The making of wreaths is an ancient and honored art that began about a thousand years before the birth of Christ and the celebration of Christmas. The Christmas Wreath symbolizes the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. The custom of hanging a wreath on the front door of your home probably came from the ancient practice to celebrate victory or success.

At Christmas, the wreath is symbolic of Christian immortality. The circle and the sphere are symbols of immortality. The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red. Green represents the continuance of life through the winter and the Christian belief in eternal life through Christ. Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed at his crucifixion.

As time progressed people put wreaths on their doors to identify their home. In early Europe each house would have a different wreath made of quite exotic flowers, most likely grown by the home owner right on their own land. Today, wreaths are a common custom in New England, with a different wreath for each season.

I have a small collection of wreaths that adorn my front door and represent the changing of the season and the cycle of life.  
 

LTC Application & Appointment

Sample of a Fingerprint Sheet

Roughly a year ago I began my journey to obtain my LTC. Through no fault other than my own procrastination I still don’t have it. Delayed long enough I made it a New Year’s resolution to finish the process. I called the city licensing office the first week of January to schedule my LTC appointment only to discover they were scheduling 3 months out.

Flash Forward: After waiting a long 3 months, today I took the next step and submitted my application at the Worcester Police Department and got finger printed. It was a painless process and a surprisingly short visit.

I had expected a lengthy interview with lots of questions with an interrogation tone much like others I know had experienced but that wasn’t the case. After an accuracy review of my application to ensure I had completed it correctly and filling out a few forms my interviewing officer then fingerprinted me. 

The finger printing part was the most interesting to me. They did each finger individually then they did the thumbs a second time and then all four other fingers together.

That was it. Now I must wait again for 2 months while the application process is completed to find out if I will receive my Class A Large Capacity License To Carry.