Day 2-36 -- Wide expanses of water

It was a rather long day at work -- two regular classes and one longer make up class.  Walking in was pleasant as the temperature was rising and the rain was just a mist.  The frozen ground cover had a layer of slush on top that gave a bit of traction.  The trip home at supper wasn't as pleasant. It was dark so depth perception made choosing safe footing more challenging.  While on the trip in this morning, there were a couple small areas of water that had diminished since yesterday.  However, on the homeward trip great ponds or maybe lakes had developed with the warmer temps and rain through the afternoon -- and not only in the usual places but in most areas.  The slushy areas were lessened with only glare ice often and beside the lakes (really -- these were 2-3 meters long and 7-10 cm deep) there was no secure footing with half meter piles of ice on either side. I chose one of these once and then decided that slipping into traffic wasn't much of a choice over wading through the lakes. It was a slow trip home -- and I remained upright.  <smile> I thought wit would be pleasant to  have a walking partner to share the terror or at least have a ferry across the lakes and the torrents flowing down the gutters. I will admit to one odd thought as I traversed the wildness -- "I must remember to take my vitamin D when I get home." <grin>

The slush from the melting today hadn't fully frozen when I got home, so I took time to shovel more of it off the accumulated glaciers in the yard. In many places it is now more even, but still far from reaching the ground. My hope was that this would make shovelling easier for the current falling snow -- 20 cm expected overnight and there are already a few cm down from the evening.  It should be light snow at least as the temps are dropping about 20 degrees C overnight. That makes me feel pleased on one hand, but to have all that flowing and stagnant water freeze up will be problematic. The Brook overflowed its banks from ice build up and jams earlier this week. This freeze up could add to that as well as push water into businesses on Main in the areas with deep standing water.

The song for today is a relaxing one. The lyrics reflect my wish for another way over the water. I like this version with singers from Lilith Fair just a 'few' years ago <smile> and the wonderful acoustic guitars.  Enjoy!

The Water is Wide -- Sarah McLachlin, Jewel, & Indigo Girls