More on Snow and Ice

I feel my ten years spent in the northern part of Indiana, where we had our share of snow and freezing temperatures, did not prepare me for the winters I've experienced here in upstate New York.  Or, as I like to call it, the arctic circle of death.

But I exaggerate.

In my daily walks this winter I've had first-hand, up close and personal experience with five types of slippery situations you can expect in this part of the world.  I will now rank them in order of severity:

1. Regular ice: this is easy.  It looks like an ice cube, cloudy and wet.  Very visible and avoidable, however not entirely difficult to walk on.
2. Black ice: this stuff will fool you.  It looks like an innocent little puddle or wet spot, but as soon as you try to jump in it to splash your husband your feet are lookin' down at you asking what the heck you were thinking.
3. Packed snow: not as slippery as black ice, but much more clever in its disguise.  "Hey, I think I'll walk on that snow instead of this ice....whoooooaaaaa bad choice!"
4. Super slush: this is snow that can't decide if it's going to freeze or melt so it does both.  And there you go, walking out of the bead store on your way to meet Corey and all of a sudden you realize your feet are sliding out to the side and your butt's on its way to the ground.  Hypothetically.
5. Hidden ice: this jerk is just laying there waiting for you.  Waiting for you to take that first confident step onto a fresh powdery snow.  But this snow is in cahoots with the ice.  It has no intention of giving you any kind of footing.

And there you have culmination of my research.  I hope it helps.  Walk gently my friends.