Ice, Ice, Baby

If you ever wondered what a quarter-inch of ice accumulation looks like, it's not pretty. Well, it sort of is pretty, but definitely not practical.

Having a slippery deck is one thing, but the driveway-turned-skating-rink is another. I called in "late" to work this morning in hopes that another 45 minutes of daylight would help melt the ice.

Since the temperature was right around the freezing mark, you could tell Ol' Man Winter was trying to rectify his behavior from last night. It was warmer but a constant mist remained through the day.

With my little delay, it was warm enough that I was able to back out of the garage without sliding and hitting either ice-covered vehicle parked in the driveway. I really didn't have any traction for the drive through the subdivision out to a main road. And that wasn't that great, either. So I drove around 30 mph to work and managed to stay out of the ditch.

It was a precarious walk from the car to the office door, though. Now I can see why schools and a lot of businesses were closed again today. What can be done with all these icy parking lots around town? Can salt and sand really do the trick or is that just to give us confidence that something is being done?

On the plus side, a lot of ice and snow melted today. On the negative side, the temperatures are back below freezing so tomorrow morning will bring a new layer of ice and fresh hell for commuters. And they've called off school AGAIN in Rapids already.

There are parts of the country that are dying for rain. They can have it in January! We'd actually rather have snow. You can plow it, blow it, move it out of the way. Ice is a nasty visitor overstaying its welcome!

For a reprieve, we apparently will see temps in the 40s this weekend. I would normally be excited about that. But the snowshoe trails will be in very poor condition after this rain and ice. And while 40s is good running weather, I would be foolish to attempt any movement beyond shuffling from my car to the office.

Take it slow, my friends. Be careful on that ice, ice, baby!