A Thin Icy Crust

Slick, but not thick

The students of Christian County, KY, were supposed to attend school today -- President's Day -- to make up one of the many "snow days" they've enjoyed recently.

Old Man Winter intervened. Sunday evening, a thin glaze of ice formed on the roads, and half an inch of snow fell on top of it. The new surface was very slick, so school was canceled today. The holiday, which had been declared a make-up day, became a holiday again.

This morning, Dennis decided he would push our wheeled trash-bin down our hill (pictured below) as he  usually does. (He always thinks it's easier to push the trash down than to load the trash-bin into the truck and haul it down.) When he got back to the house, he admitted that he had fallen. The new glaze over the old snow-pack on the hill was slicker than he had expected. Fortunately, he didn't break any bones.

I felt a little shaken by Dennis's fall as I left for work. The small rural blacktops had a white icy crust. I was determined to avoid the vehicular equivalent of falling on the ice, so I drove with an excess of caution. Finally, I reached larger highways that had been salted. I was a little late for work, but I arrived in one piece. About half of the staff stayed home, so it was an interesting day.

Isaac was home from college this past weekend. He went back yesterday before the precipitation began freezing on the roads. When I talked to him on the phone this evening, he told me that the sidewalks on the Murray State campus were treacherous this morning. He nearly fell several times on his way to his first class.

If Keely had any mishaps due to the ice, she didn't tell me. She's careful because she doesn't want to re-injure a previously sprained ankle.

I hope we -- and you, gentle reader -- can all get through this season without accident or injury. Be careful!