We've just been through the longest cold spell of this winter. Much as we like to dream about the arrival of spring, it seems a pretty remote possibility when the inside of the kitchen windows is coated in ice and we have to leave the water dripping to keep pipes from freezing.

When Jim returned from getting the mail Thursday afternoon, the soles of his shoes froze to the concrete when he stepped on the front porch. I think the snow is beautiful, but I'd certainly like to see some warmer weather.

With meetings canceled because of icy road conditions, we spent more evenings at home last week. We did go out to eat one evening but returned home early to watch the Olympic coverage. Jim really prefers the winter Olympics to the summer events, and we'd been looking forward to seeing these talented athletes perform. We enjoyed the figure skating the first evening. Reading about the history of the sport, I learned that people have been ice skating for about 1,300 years. Ice skating began in northern Europe -- in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Early skaters didn't skate for sport. Ice skating was a way of getting where they wanted to go. The first skaters used the shinbones of cattle and sheep for the blades, tying them to the bottom of their boots with leather ties and straps. In the 1700s, wealthy men started skating clubs in Scotland, requiring new members to pass skating challenges such as jumping over hats on the ice, drawing figures or writing names on the ice. By this time, skates were made of wooden blocks with iron blades stuck in them.

Most ice skating was in cold climates where skaters could skate outside only in the winter. It became much more popular in recent years when indoor rinks permitted skating and training all year long. Most figure skaters begin to skate when they are about 4 years old and their early discipline pays off. The Olympic figure skating competition is a fascinating mix of music and dance-like routines performed on ice. It's easy to see as we watch the spins and jumps that the skaters have put in a lot of hard work.

Anyone who knows me very well at all knows that I'm an avid reader. Reading has been my favorite pastime from an early age. As a youngster, before we had a TV in our home, I'd bring a book home from the school library, read it after school and return it the next day to check out another one. Today, Feb. 12, is the 205th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. He is called "Honest Abe," noted for his honesty, but I think much of my admiration for him stems from the stories I heard about his reading far into the night. As I pictured him with the candlelight flickering on his pages, snow drifting in through the cracks in the log wall, he seemed a kindred soul, a fellow book lover.

Needless to say, I believe reading a good book is one of the best ways to spend these snowy evenings at home. Once in a while I find a real bargain in the sale room at the library. One of these treasures I purchased recently was "Cache Lake Country, Life in the North Woods," by John J. Rowlands. It's almost as old as I am but its simple philosophy is timeless. Rowland writes of the beauty of the outdoors, from January's harsh snows to the glorious crimson of autumn, appealing to any nature lover. He relates the deep satisfaction and excitement of discovering how inventive and resourceful a man can be when he's trying to survive in the wilderness.

In the pages of this book, charmingly illustrated by Henry Kane, we can learn how to make a rabbit skin robe or an Indian drum, pack for a week's canoe trip or weather a blizzard in the open. Reviewer Verlyn Kinkenborg, who wrote an introduction for the re-release of the book in 1990, called it "the best book ever written." It was one of the precious volumes in his parents' small library, along with his mother's nursing textbooks.

This book reflects the varied interests of Rowland, who worked as a miner, prospector, surveyor and timber cruiser in western Ontario, just south of Hudson Bay. When he wrote it, he was the public relations officer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had been a widely respected journalist with the United Press Association in New York and Boston and was the first person to reach Vice President Calvin Coolidge in Vermont with the news that President Warren G. Harding had died. He was a true Renaissance man, and his writing reflects that.

Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong resident of Benton County. She can be reached at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.