The new year and no snow! When we got here on the 4th of January last year, it was piled high. Instead the other day I went out for my daily walk and had to contend with the above. No, not wet roads....that would be to easy. That's not wet, that's ice! "Skin tight ice!" Ah, now you know there is a story don't you? Yes, skin tight, our new phrase around here. In an effort to explain to Andi just what black ice is and how it forms....I likened it to putting glue on the palm of your hand and waiting for it to dry tight to the skin. A thin layer of water on the roads with freezing temperatures is kind of like the the glue drying on your hand. "mmmm, she said, skin tight ice!" And thus is born a new catch phrase in our house. So yes, on this particular walk day, it was rather tricky. Even the dirt roads were hard navigating, so my friend and I ended up taking little roads through the rice fields, where there was still a thin layer of snow to get traction.
Andi, in the meantime, makes good use of a patch of ice that just wouldn't melt from the first snowfall. It sits in the shade all day and became a source of great fun. 
With my new camera (having fun testing it out!) the three photos are in quick succession.
The ice field was great fun, but brought heartbreak the day somebody drove through it on a warm afternoon and the tire tracks froze in that night. "No good for skating" said a very glum Andi.
We did get snow flurries the other day. The neighbor came over to drop some stuff off. It was ok weather when she came, but 5 minutes later strong gusts and flurries were all over. She had her baby with her, so sent Andi brought out her blanket for the baby to wrap up in, followed them to their house, then back home with her blanket. Somehow I could just envision her on some pioneer trek....of course to Andi the 30 yards to the neighbor house might as well have been 30 miles...I'm sure she conjured it up in her mind.
On the 2nd we went to skate night. Some nights there are lots of kids there, other nights just a handful, like this night. Shane rented in-lines as well to give it a try. He only had on major wipeout, taking Andi with him...of course that's the moment that I had put the camera down. The other kids decided he was "the guy to get" and had fun chasing him around the small arena.
For a few brief moments Shane was allowed to skate with Andi. After that she told him that he was cramping her style, and she wanted to socialize with the other kids. He enjoyed the moment while he could....Hopefully weather will start cooperating....either be sunny and let things grow, or snow and cover up the grayness. Right now trying to find things to take pictures of is a little hard, it all seems so dull. But it is a new year, must look at it with fresh eyes.
