We had our first snow on 27th November. Just for a couple of hours everything looked like it had been dusted with icing sugar and then it all melted away. We had our first serious snowfall on Monday, 29th Nov. I had gone to German class as usual and when I came out of class 4 hrs later there was snow all over my car. We get such little snow here (last year the car was always parked in an underground garage when Anand was at work and in our cellar while we were home), that we did not feel the need for a snow scraper at all. So when I saw the car covered in snow, the only thing easily available was the cover of my mobile which I used to scrape the snow off the four windows. I used the car’s heating and wipers to get the snow off the front and rear windows and drove off.
Since I had the car, I had to go pick up Anand after work – this normally would take me 15 mts, but that day it took me double the time to get there and of course it took twice as much time to get back home too. Since the snowfall had come so quickly the roads were not cleared at all and that makes for very slow driving….
Throughout last week the temperature stayed between 0 to -5C (between 23 -32 F), so the snow did not melt away. Then on Sunday it began raining which of course melted the top layer of the snow and then promptly overnight the temperature fell below freezing and of course now this has turned to a thin layer of ice – this is most apparent in the park where Socks and I have to go for our walk at least three times every day..
We make quite a ridiculous sight walking in the park as I am bent over and walking as low as Socks – as I have one arm under her belly in front of her back legs to support them as her back legs keep sliding apart in two directions when she encounters ice. We only have to take about 20 steps to cross the road in the park to get to the grassy area area. But we have to do this twice once on our way into the park and on our return.
Yesterday I had to return my library books – I normally take my bike and go across the park to the library and decided to do this as usual. I had not even travelled 500 ft into the park and saw the entire path covered in a nice sheet of ice and was congratulating myself on having taken the bicycle rather than attempting to walk when of course my bicycle slid and down I fell. Another bicyclist stopped and asked me in German if I was alright and I replied to him in English – Of course, except my pride. I attempted to do this a second time and promptly fell down again. Because I was taking the bicycle I had not put on my heavy snow walking shoes, but half boots like I would normally wear to the office and these were no help at all on the icy surface…
Finally I walked on the ground adjacent to the path till I got to a major road going through the park which they had salted in the middle. Since I was wearing my thick walking jacket and heavy pants with thermals – I did not get hurt much except for knocking my elbow hard when I fell. I also knocked off the rear warning light on the bike and one of the reflective strips on my rear tire.
While returning I stuck to center of the major road even though it was a more longer way of returning home. People use the park everyday to go to work, for their errands, mothers with children in buggies, school children going to and fro to school. School kids especially have a great time; they can skate across the park just using their normal shoes. I guess I am growing old and afraid of falling and it gives me the shivers just looking at the ice all across the paths or I am sympathizing too much with Socks….
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