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Ice, ice go away – come back some other day

I shouldn’t complain. The ice storms that have gripped the Midwest as of late haven’t cut off my power and I’ve been nice and toasty warm. But, I’m getting sick of the ice.

Several years ago we had a horrible ice storm in Kansas City. I was without power for 10 days, living like a gypsy as I went from house to house of other friends as their power was restored. My street was one of the last ones to get power back in the city. It was so cold in our house (I was renting a house with a roommate then) that the water in the toilets froze.

Since then I’m a bit panicky when I know ice is on the way. I make plans as if I’m starting off for an adventure to the great white north!

This time I escaped the power outages. But, as the streets have been cleared and plowed and cleaned the sidewalks STILL remain sheets of ice. It’s like stepping onto an ice rink with your shoes on. The ice is probably about two inches thick, and as the weather warmed today, the ice on the sidewalks remained largely untouched. It’s as if the cement underneath is now so cold that it’s acting as a freezer and preserving the sheets of ice. They even shine as the light hits them.

This weekend we’re supposed to get two to four inches of snow. I can hardly wait. If the sun doesn’t work, at least the snow will offer some traction for walking.

I feel like I’ve been a prisoner in my apartment this week. As I’ve felt better than I’ve felt in months all I wanted to do was get out, run errands and even get exercise – but I don’t want to risk breaking a few bones to do it!

So, hopefully the snow will provide what the sun failed to – freedom!

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