The air felt cold when I woke this morning. Outside temperatures had dropped overnight and will be even colder tonight. Running back and forth to the basement to do laundry and bring things up from the pantry -- one at a time since coordinated trips did not happen -- led me to feel colder. The baseboard heaters there are not all operational so there are colder areas and warmer areas. My shower tonight was longer than usual just to help me feel warmer. The kitchen felt comfortable when I had the oven on for fruit crisp and a large pot of stew simmering on the stovetop. After looking at the ice in the driveway and walkway yesterday, I rummaged around and found the ice melter with traction. That will go out on the vast stretches of skating quality ice that lies in wait for the unsuspecting traveler.
Ice occurs every winter here -- great swaths of it and often several centimeters thick. It takes much work to minimize adverse effects the nastiness could create. It is frozen water, which sounds innocuous, but isn't. Different types of winter ice occur. Some from frozen slush provides a very uneven surface that can't be easily traversed since there is not spot to carefully set each step. The thin ice that covers smaller puddles doesn't impede progress much and can be rather fun to crack. When water ponds with rain and melting snow and then freezes, treacherous ice surfaces abound. That is what is in the yard now. Breaking this up by hand become an impossible task. It is just too thick and dense. That is when a chemical process becomes necessary. The major ice melter I have is environmentally friendly and does a great job of breaking up the larger sheets of ice. So, tomorrow I'll begin that process. The sun is expected to visit again tomorrow, which will make being outdoors a bit more bearable. <smile>
The song that came to mind today is by an artist who grew up a couple of hours down the highway. This was one of her early hits. The song title fit my thoughts of escaping this mess for a while. The fashion choice is interesting, too. <grin> Enjoy!
Snowbird -- Anne Murray
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