I have been forsaken

After my dance and praise to the sun god he has foresaken me. Darn sun. This morning I was blissfully unaware of the weather coming our way, okay I think I heard there was a chance for snow. But the sun was shining yesterday and my driveway was asphalt again. All black and beautiful. (wish it was concrete but $10,000 for that much concrete was a bitter pill to swallow.)

Like a drill sergeant I got my son ready for school, fed, dressed, face washed, teeth brushed. I am on my game. My daughter was left with her breakfast of choice, a blanket and cartoons with a monitor phone as I prepared to walk my son to the bus stop. I opened the door and we stepped out. Hey, what's this? It's gloomy and, raining? No, not raining. Raining mixed with. Oh no! Ice! What the ... Yes folks, ice. We are not known for ice storms in this area. Snow, yes. Ice, no.

So we navigate our way down the front walk to the glorious black driveway... which is now slippery as all heck. Then to the sidewalk and up to our neighbors house, who didn't really shovel, just let the sun do it. That means where the melting occurred ice formed. We looked like non-celebrities on ice going up hill. Fun fun.

I wondered why I didn't check the weather, switching the 'almighty cartoons' off but when the kids disappeared to play the radio was switched on.

My son was off to school on the bus and I was terrified for him with his short treck given the road conditions. Alas, I had to return home and get my daughter moving.

This morning she was little miss non-eating turtle. I was forcing her to eat and get dressed when BAM! a loud crack of thunder hit. I looked out the window and the heavens had open up and it was now a mixture of snow and ice. Coating all the nice clean, or formerly clean surfaces.

I finally got my daughter to 'move it move it move it!' and into the car. I pull out and onto the street and immediately begin to slide this way and that. No problem. I can do this. I'm seasoned. So I wait for a safe opportunity to pull onto the secondary road and around the dangerous S-curve near my house. I near the big slope at the intersection that I need to turn onto and begin to slide again. I am not flying, I am not crawling but sliding all the same. I am able to correct properly and begin down the new secondary road and end up behind a white toyota minivan. My OSST minivan never looked better all coated in ice and sludge. Yeah, stop being so jealous. But the driver ahead of me, as we crest the hill and begin our descent, has never heard of 'too slow is just as bad as too fast.' I am softly applying my break to keep my distance from behind the minivan. But it is too slick. I'm sliding left (correcting) sliding right (correcting) and left and right and then slighting into the oncoming lane before my tires hit some form of traction.

At the stop sign at the bottom of the hill I decide to keep at least 3 car lengths between me and mr/ms slowpoke. That was good. All better. We slid more but got there in one piece. On the drive back it seemed to have warmed up a tad and the ice was turning to slush. Phew. I pick her up again before lunchtime. I hope the roads remain better.

Yesterday's 40+ degrees lulled me into a false sense of 'Early spring?' And talks with the other moms how this is enough snow and DEFINITELY enough ice. Yes, folks we didn't have our coats zipped or hats or gloves and we were loving it! I am now feeling forsaken and my lovely dance to the sun god is no more. I feel betrayed.