How's Your Driveway?

Living in Floyd in the winter, particularly after a storm, it's not uncommon to start a conversation with "How's your driveway?" Why it's practically the same thing as "How are you?" It may sound odd, but it's true. Today our driveway is looking good, it's warmed up to 60 degrees after a few rather chilly winter days and the last of the ice has melted. In other words, I can park the car at the bottom of the hill without fear of how we're going to make it back up.

Three years ago our driveway was covered with ice at least an inch thick, more in some places; we walked up and down the driveway hill using a sled to bring home groceries for four weeks—twice. During one of those endless stretches of life living in Floyd County, I fell and broke my arm. It happened in the morning on the way to the car to take my husband to the Dr. to get an x-ray on what turned out to be his severely sprained ankle—the result of falling on the ice the previous night. We were a mess. The boys were scared; they both had a deer-in-the-headlights-look on their face. Here were their parents--both on the ground, their father was in a sled wearing only one boot and had crutches by his side, while their mother was writhing and clutching her arm with an obvious protrusion at the wrist where nothing should be. I learned two lessons that day, I know that I am fallible and ice can take me down.

Not long after that thrilling experience, we learned of and purchased a pair of YakTrax for every family member. We wear this necessary piece of winter equipment as needed. Until that moment in mid-February, I looked at ice as I did in my younger days, it was fun to slide on and was used for ice skating. Since that winter I have had a slight paranoia of ice. Things change, people change, and circumstances change. Last year, for the first time, I found myself coveting a house on the edge of U.S. Highway 221, just so our driveway would be short, made of asphalt--and easily accessible. Winter is not over, not by a long shot, but today my driveway is ice-free and a cause for minor celebration. Yippee!

[Photo of the icy driveway taken two days ago here.]