Ice, Ice Baby

Day 206 of 365

When we first moved to Maine, I had a hard time with how much snow we got. It was a lot, but in time, I came to love the snow. Then, the ice came, and I will forever loathe the ice. Thanks to climate change, I suppose, we will now sometimes have ice on the ground for months as the temperatures are warmer–warm enough to melt the snow but not warm enough to melt it all the way. In the winter, it can be tough to take care all of the animal areas when there is so much ice. We have learned strategies (ice grippers, using ash from the wood stove), but I am still pretty scared of the ice.

When Boudica was a puppy, something happened, and our front door didn’t shut. She ran out the door. It was early in the morning, and I was in my nightgown and just my socks. When I ran out on the ice in my socks, I just went down hard. I hit my head and couldn’t see for a few seconds. I was traumatized. I became terrified of the ice. I bought ice grippers, but they aren’t perfect. Every time I start to slide, I just go to my knees and crawl wherever I need to go. I take no chances.

I have crawled past the chickens and the ducks on many occasion. The poor chickens slide too. Rooster hates the ice. He’s very dignified, and it’s hard to keep one’s dignity when sliding on the ice. But the ducks can somehow manage. It must be something about those little webbed feet.

I try to be so careful that I haven’t had an accident for some time–until this morning. I didn’t realize there was just a slight sheen of ice on the back porch. I let the ducks out of their house and then went into the house to start filling buckets. I was on the very first bucket, and when I stepped out to put the bucket full of hot water on the deck and go back for more, I just went down. I didn’t fall all the way down the steps, but pretty much. I spilled all of the water everywhere, and there as a big crash.

I looked up in time to see the ducks all raised up staring right at me. They were worried. I don’t think they were worried for me. I think they thought I might crash into them in my clumsiness. I could be wrong though.

I could also be wrong on this point, but I am not sure. After the long silent stare at me, when I told the ducks, “I’m okay,” they started quacking and quacking–all very loudly. Very loudly. Six female ducks can be very loud. And, again, I might be wrong, but it occurred to me they might be laughing at me. Of course, in hindsight, now that I think about it, I think they were maybe griping at me for spilling their water.

I surely hope we do not have an icy winter ahead. I did not get off to a good start this morning.