What a weird winter. And how strange that I haven’t fallen on my face. A continual spray of ice on the sidewalks, melting and freezing in the above zero temperatures, crusted on the little snow we do have like cerulean crème brûlée. Today I unpacked my crampons, the strap-on kind. Strap-on crampons. They worked beautifully on the sea of pock-marked ice at the power-line. Maggie slipped more than I did, in spite of her own built-in crampons. After awhile, I felt so over confident in my ability to stay upright, I wandered onto a monkey trail, with a steep incline. I grabbed onto a kindly spruce for stability, but I let go quickly…I didn’t need it.

Even the downhill part was without incident. Why’d I wait so long to strap those things onto my boots? I even forgot I had them. Last year, there was so much snow the ice was a non-issue until much later in the season. It’s awfully nice to walk along the streets and not have to brace for a fall. Great workout for the core, but hellishly distracting. I forget to exhale.

Maggie and I spent about an hour in Whitemud Creek. She doesn’t seem at all distressed by the ice, or the knife-edged snow. Nevertheless, I’m hoping for some more of the white stuff…a lot more. This is stupid, and I’m annoyed that we’re having to deal with the worst part of spring in the middle of winter. Lovely day, though. Sunny, and warm.

Thank you strap-on crampons.

3:35/2C