11/21/10 A slippery world

Rain that freezes on things, freezing rain that clings to twigs and stairs and pavement, an invisible icy layer of slipping and sliding. Just making it to the car without falling is a major feat. The trouble is, the world is naturally very textured, and to have a slippery coating on our smooth roads, sidewalks and parking lots reminds us of how unnatural the man-made world is. I had no problem walking on my mom's gravel driveway, or the grassy lawn. Elsewhere--so slippery.