What is a fond memory Mattie has of winter?

In
chapter six of , while Mattie is washing clothes in heat of the
oppressively hot and humid Philadelphia summer, she fondly remembers her favorite winter
experience. For Mattie, this fond winter memory is of ice skating around the frozen ships in the
Philadelphia harbor. Particularly, Mattie fondly remembers ice skating with her beloved,
Nathaniel Benson. One could infer that Mattie's longing for winter is less for the actual season
and more related to sharing this special experience with Nathaniel Benson. Mattie is being
increasingly pressured to marry her parents' idea of a suitable husband (notably, not Nathaniel
Benson), and Mattie's longing for the winter of old can be seen as longing for a time of
innocence, freedom, and joy.