Rain, Sleet, Snow, Whatever

It's always a good time for compost collection

I went out this morning at 7:30, walked halfway down the block, then turned around and came home! Four 4 inches of snow had fallen overnight but at that time it was raining...maybe rain, maybe sleet and it was coming down pretty hard. The sidewalk that had been shoveled was slick. I decided it was not a necessity to take that walk!

Three hours later the rain had stopped so I ventured out again. There was no bread in the apartment and heaven forbid that I should have to bake some...especially without yeast.

What a sloppy mess! Lakes had formed at most of the crosswalks and it took some serious planning to find the best place to cross. My fellow pedestrians were unusually chatty...commenting about the weather and the state of the streets and sidewalks, of course. We discussed the safest, driest options. I made sure to thank the people shoveling sidewalks as I passed them.

The thing about snowy, icy, sloppy city streets is, of course, the juxtaposition of pedestrians and vehicles. New Yorkers known for jaywalking are a little more careful because they know some of the cabs are driven by people newly arrived from warm weather locations who are still discovering that cars do not stop on a dime in slippery conditions!

I have dreams of losing my footing in a snow pile or a slushy puddle and falling flat in the street into oncoming traffic. That has not happened and maybe those thoughts keep me extra careful. I saw plenty of people and cars slipping and sliding but no falls today.

It was an adventure but I was not unhappy to get back home! Oh, and I got the bread.

Morning temperature: 31 degrees (felt like 13)
Morning steps: 6158