A Literal Ice Rink

I had some excitement today. Driving around town in a freezing rain storm was not the best idea. Anyone who didn't need to be out today shouldn't. I had to be out. It was treacherous.

Everything was a sheet of ice. The roads. The parking lots. The sidewalks. The driveways. All of it. No escaping it. I should have worn ice skates.

Although...I'm not sure ice skates would have worked to help me maneuver out of the slippery slope I found myself on once the car slid down the driveway and lodged itself into the snowbank next to the mailbox.

It was terrifying getting myself out of the car and traversing the ice going uphill trying to stay upright while inching myself toward the safety of the garage. So little ground to cover, so much ice to navigate.

Where were my crampons when I needed them?

Fortunately I made it from the car up to the less steep side of the driveway and plunged into the snow (avoiding the yellow snow of course) as a safety measure. Despite the depth of the snow and the extremely crusty, top layer, it provided much more traction for getting from the end of the driveway to the top of the driveway in safety.

WHEW!! I have never been so ecstatic to travel the relatively short distance from the mailbox to the garage in my life! Safety! No fractured skull or broken hip! I did it!

Once my heart calmed down and my body quit shaking at my near-death experience (yes, I envisioned myself slipping on the ice and sliding down under the car and not being able to get myself out and no one seeing me to rescue me and that would be the end of me), I came to my senses and tried to figure out my next plan of action.

Salt! That was the answer to my problem. Down to the water softener I went to collect containers full of salt. I threw it all out onto the driveway and watched each little pellet slide around on the ice.

Ah ha! A few minutes later I noticed the ice becoming thinner in spots. I grabbed the snow shovel and started pounding on the ice to break it up.

Soon I saw a beautiful sight--a good Samaritan walking up the street carrying an ice scraper. Bishop Cowley saw my plight and came to my rescue.

He had already scraped his own driveway, scraped Dickson's driveway (on right--notice Stewart's driveway on left is a sheet of ice) and scraped Winder's driveway earlier in the day.

He scraped our driveway. He scraped underneath the car to get some traction for the tire wheels. He urged me into the car. He cheered me on when the car moved forward and up into its spot in the garage. His wife  came up to help chip our ice. Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors!

After work, Glen was able to drive right up the steep side of the driveway to get his car into the garage. The sign of a job well done!