Ice storm

That's the big news around here this week of course.  The ice storm.  I'm posting some pictures of ice-covered trees and the poor doves, who are congregated around my bird feeders and all puffed out from the cold.  Interestingly, some of the mourning doves have a definite pink tinge to their breasts and above their beaks.  You can kind of see it in the picture below.  And there's one white-winged dove out there too (pictured walking by himself). 

The ice storm came in Thursday evening.  I was driving home from a dinner with a speaker when it was beginning and the bridges were already starting to freeze.  I stayed home Friday, which is unusual for me.  I have an all-wheel-drive Subaru, so I usually go to work, but I just wasn't ready to face it Friday.  So I worked from home (thank you remote access!) and took pictures of icy things.

Unfortunately yesterday I had to get out in it.  I had committed to interview medical school applicants on Saturday and the applicants got here.  So I left my house about 3 hours before I had to be there, and it took me about an hour to get into work.  I really thought I was going to die at one point though.  

About 5 other cars and I were inching our way across the Trinity River over a five lane bridge that was horrific.  Refrozen into slippery 4 inch deep ruts that threw your car around besides the basic slipping.  We were probably all going less than 5 mph, maybe 2-3 mph, but we were inching our way across.  I looked up into my rear view mirror and there's a semi barreling down on us, doing at least 50 mph.  I thought, well that's it.  Nowhere to go.  No way to get there even if there was.  No way was he going to be able to stop.  I didn't even get an adrenaline surge, maybe because I thought it was inevitable and there was nothing to do.  

The semi moron (well total moron, but driving a semi) whipped into the nonexistent left hand lane and flew past us all.  Really I had forgotten about that lane because it was iced over so badly, nobody was even trying to drive in it.  If there had been anyone in that lane, or if he hadn't controlled it on that ice, none of us probably would have escaped being involved in the wreck.  That was by far my scariest moment of the day, going in.

Coming back had some nerve-wracking moments, but nothing like that one.  It also took me longer (almost 1 1/2 hours) because my way home usually involves some long, high ramps.  I went alternate routes in order to miss those, and then secondary alternate routes from my alternate routes when the alternate routes were blocked off as impassible (long steep hills).  I was just glad to finally get home.  Even if my garage door opener was frozen and I had to get out and open it by hand.  

This morning I fell on the ice going to get my mail.  Not serious.  Bruised knees probably.  Have I mentioned that I'm not that fond of ice?  The good news is that even though the sun hasn't shown itself since last Wednesday some time, it's slightly above freezing now.  A lot of this stuff is melting.  I have a small rainstorm coming off my roof.  Of course it will freeze back up tonight, but any little thaw makes the roads somewhat more passable for tomorrow.  

And the cat kids and I are staying in and staying warm today, although Zoe would like a chance at the dove congregation, as you can see.  And I have every faucet in my house dripping for the duration.  I'll shoot myself if I have any frozen and broken pipes.


In other news, my big laptop has blue screened 4 times in the last day, despite everything I've done to try to fix it, so it's packed up to go back to Fry's for some work.  I pulled my receipt on it.  I bought it in July 2011, with a 3 year service/warranty contract.  Must have been psychic.  So I'm on the Internet on my small travel laptop today.

I suppose that's it for today.  I'll save other news for the next post.  Later.