Whether Wetter Weather

 TV weather people live for days like this.  { I used to say weathermen and weathergirls; but, that seems to be politically incorrect in these times. }  We watch Dallas channel 5 weatherfolks on a regular basis.  I don't know why.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Last night, Channel 5 proclaimed they were starting their weather reports 30 minutes early this morning (4:30 a.m.).  And weather casts have been shouting out 360 degrees for 24 -7 this morning.  

The roads have ice on them.  They should.  It has been raining and drizzling on and off since yesterday afternoon, and the temperature is below freezing.  Put the two together.  You have ice.   This morning I stepped out on my front walk  and tried to slide.  No ice there.  Thus, I reasoned, all roads must be fine.  That same logical reasoning has followed me throughout the morning.  

Not this time, but years back, the first thing I would do on a potentially icy day was to slam on my brakes to see if I drifted.  No drift; No ice.  Drive faster.  Made sense to a middle aged male driver.  And, I betcha, that is what is happening north of here in the DFW area.  A pileup in Ft. Worth has killed 5 already.  Watching TV weathercasts, we can see cars zipping over the overpasses.   (That was fun to say - "zipping over the overpasses.")   Some have been sanded; some not.  35 car pileup in DFW.  Yessir, that's a bundle of vehicles.

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AN ASIDE:  I saw that another patch of I 35 W had wrecks.  They project 4 hours to clear the mess. Why does it take so long?  I realize that I have never had to clear wrecked cars off a road in the ice.  I realize that.  I have no experience.  But, 4 hours to clear.  Doesn't that seem like someone is making a commission on the amount of time necessary.  "We'll pay you an $100 an hour to stretch out this cleanup."   What if you gave them one hour, then, docked pay for every 30 minutes over that time?  It's just a thought.  And, I can say this criticism because I am confidant that none of the workers, who are standing out in this weather, read this blog.   I don't need a load of ice and scrap metal dumped on my driveway.

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I need to drive south today.  My phone shows ice flows south of us.  I sit and wait.  Tomorrow will be dry.  It will still be lower than freezing.  Maybe all the cars from today will dry off the road.  My wife just brought me a thing she read off facebook.  People out here (East of Corsicana) are driving into town.  They report that the mile long bridge over Richland-Chambers Lake seems to have ice.   The one in front of the Darn, is covered with ice.  What a revelation.  (My momma made me say "Darn" instead of .... of .... that other word.)

Here I have sat for a year dodging the Covid bug.  All the news could report was bad Covid news.  Today they graduated to ice.  The TV weather people are ecstatic to get the opportunity to hog the airwaves for this brief bit of time.  Bad weather is their Hog Heaven. 

What I love the most is the lone, single reporter standing, shivering beside an icy road describing the scene in great repetitive detail - nobody withing 100 yards - and she is wearing a mask.  As you know, Covid will latch on to a single ice crystal, flutter about the atmosphere for hours, and slither up your nose.   

Dastardly little creatures.

more later.

latching on my ice shoes so I can make it safely to the bathroom.

Keep your head down and put a clothespin on your nose if you're going outside to stand by the highway.
mtz  (tired and 80)