A PURR-FECT DAY ...

It 's another day, like too many & too recent -- think, yesterday -- where the elements of nature conspire to challenge my efforts to get out of the house & be anything close to "active" outdoors.

The start of this day was not much different from where last night left off; cold & all surfaces covered with either ice, snow or both.

The first omen was the driveway being slick -- & dangerous -- with a fine, thin ice coating as I made my way down to the road to retrieve the morning newspaper, which WAS encased in a yellow plastic bag due to the weather conditions. The delivery guy got it right for a change.

The front road was clear of snow, but the light of my flash light reflected back a shine from many spots on the normally dull surface of the blacktop; a clear indicator the bouts of freezing rain from late yesterday afternoon where still to be considered.

As the morning progressed & it became light outside, the lack of sun shine & the temperature remaining around 30 degrees, conspired to prevent the ice & snow from beginning the melting process. In my mind I confirmed I would NOT be driving to the Hays Center for my -- usual -- Saturday morning work-out.

Still, one needs to exercise. [I keep telling myself that. It's on-going battle I have somewhere deep in my skull.] I did my stretching, lifted some weights & did my 100 sit-ups. All the stuff the winning/losing side of of my brain -- take your pick -- requires I do each A.M.

Layering on some clothing, the next "requirement" was the 2.5 mile course I walk/jog/run six days a week. [Like the movie, Never on Sunday, I only walk on Sundays.]

Well, at the road, right at the end of my ice covered drive way, I learned the road was in only slightly better condition when it came to the the slick spots & patches of ice covering it. No jogging today.

I ended up doing a shortened version of my course; a distance of about 1.3 miles. I kept off the main road as much as possible, which had obviously NOT had much traffic on it to keep the road surface warm & ice free. The shoulder of the road & patches of ice on the surface were too slick for any fast walking pace.
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NOTE: There can be a drastic difference in snow/ice conditions between my road & the main road, all on account of traffic. In the South, road surfaces depend on BOTH the sun & automobile traffic to "clear" them. Obviously, there had NOT been enough traffic on the main road -- & certainly on my dead-end road -- to prevent the ice from forming on it it.
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I made it through my walk, rather chilled -- there was a strong wind as well as the cold temperatures -- & looking forward to the warm shower that was waiting for me. [It felt good.]

As the day has worn on, the sun has started to shine & the melting has begun, now turning everything once covered in ice & snow into dripping water, mush & mud.

The plan developed earlier today remains the same: I'm inside for the day. It's a purr-fect day to finish my tax papers.