River

Listen while you read:  featuring Snoopy!

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
. . . 

~  Joni Mitchell

Did it really take me this long to post a Joni Mitchell song? I have no explanation for that, as I consider her one of the best lyricists ever. I have said many times that in my next life, I want to look and sing like Joni Mitchell. Well, maybe this post was worth waiting for? It is one of my favorite Joni songs and can be found on 1971's Blue. Treat yourself to the animated video, which features Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang ice skating, but be sure to watch until the end! Snoopy won't let you down!

I am no athlete, but I can ice skate. Meaning I can glide forward on skates without falling down. Skating backwards is a skill I never quite mastered. Don't laugh, but I still have my figure skates from 1962, complete with black pom-poms and jingle bells! I bought new L.L. Bean skates several years ago, but they just weren't the same, so I went back to my 55-year-old skates. And I also still wear my ancient wool socks with the poinsettia flowers embroidered on the cuffs.

But who am I kidding? I have not skated in three years, not since I became a snowbird. It don't snow here / It stays pretty green. There isn't much I miss about being in the Northeast in the winter. Maybe two things: watching birds at the feeder . . . and ice skating. And please don't suggest that I find an indoor skating rink down here. Skating around and around in circles with a gazillion other people is not my idea of ice skating. I need a pond or a lake . . . or a river I can skate away on.

And the metaphor is not lost on me. Like many of you, I have had the desire of late to skate away. Lacking a frozen body of water, we search for other ways to escape our pain or sorrow or fear, some ways healthier than others. I hope your future holds the company of your loved ones, the comfort of home, heartfelt laughter, and perhaps a good book in which to escape. And if you happen to reside in the North, skate a round for me.