Snow Day - February 12, 2021

 

I didn't really trust the TV weather people when they said an ice storm was coming.  Nevertheless, before I left work Wednesday, I contacted people with whom we'd scheduled conference calls to give them an alternate phone number, just in case we couldn't make it to the office Thursday.  Good move.  During the night Wednesday night, the ice came - not a terrible storm, but enough to make the roads treacherous.  

Yesterday morning, The Husband called all of his employees and told them to work from home, and he set up to work in our home office.   I wandered around the house for a couple of hours, looking for something to do.  You might think that with all the new "toys" I've bought, I'd have plenty to keep me occupied.  But all of the projects I wanted to do lacked one or more crucial ingredient, I could not settle into anything productive.

About 10 a.m., I said to The Husband, "I think I'll run up to the dollar store.  Do you need anything?"

He said, "WHAT???"  Like I'd lost my mind.  But I'd watched several vehicles pass the house, and they were moving pretty much like normal, and although trees blocked my view of the steep hill up the road from us, it sounded like the cars and trucks were climbing it without incident.  I intended to try it.

The Husband followed me outside as I went to check the road conditions for myself, pointing out how slippery the sidewalk and driveway were.  Undeterred, I went to my car, intending to crank it and warm it up for the short trip, but the car was encased in ice.  I could not get the door open.  Watching from the doorstep, The Husband had his "told you so" look on his face.  I came back inside, took off my coat, and watched some of the impeachment hearing.  

Two hours later, having had all the TV I could stand, I filled my watering can with hot water, took it outside, and de-iced my driver door enough to get in and crank the engine.  Turned the heat up full blast and set it to blow on the windshield.  Twenty minutes later, I still had to hack ice off the windshield.

But I made it to the dollar store and back without incident.  Yeah, these country backroads were slippery, but I was careful.  I remembered my daddy telling me, "When you're driving on ice, you have to drive like you don't have any brakes, because you don't [have any brakes]."

It was a l-o-n-g afternoon.  I spent most of it slaying Nintendo monsters (I am a BAD ASS with a virtual sword in my hand).  ;)  

I am going to do better today.