slippery slopes

 Our winter has been pretty mild

    Not a lot of snow, not terribly cold for long stretches of time.

    Friends wintering in Alabama had 10 inches of snow.  Florida has snow.  So does New Orleans and Houston.  But not us.

    That is not a bad thing, less heart attacks of older guys shoveling heavy snow.  But farmers could do with the moisture.

    At least we don't have ice.

    Years ago, and I mean years.  Julia must have been 3 or 4 ,   I worked at the News Leader when the offices were on Fourth and Main.  Across the street is a city parking lot and beyond that  row of stores.

   There was one icy spot in the parking lot.

    It being a slow day, a coworker (Jean, I believe) and I were watching out the front window and saw a person fall on the ice.  Then a second person fell.  Then a third.

    All in the same spot on the far side of the parking lot.

    Then we saw Jackie, pulling little Julia along.

    Jean and I looked at each other with that "should we warn them or laugh" look.

    Well, we didn't warn them.

    Jackie hit the ice and flew about 30 feet into the air, arms flapping like she was trying to fly.... her scarf acting like a tail on a kite.   She made a perfect 1 point landing on her butt, with little Julia ending up in the snow.

    Jean and I were hysterical. Jackie was a bit miffed, we could tell, and was pulling Julia across the snowy, slushy lot.

    She got to the newspaper door and Julia was crying like mad.  Jackie looked at the 2 hyenas in front of her and that made her even madder.

    "And I don't know why this kid  is crying so much!" Jackie said.  "I'm the one who fell."

    "Maybe she is crying because her foot is cold,"  I said.  "Her boot is on the other side of the parking lot! You have been dragging her barefoot through snow and slush."

    Yes, it was hard to get that out through the laughter that 2 of us were enjoying.

    And yes, I did go across the lot to get the boot for our little girl, who had one soaked and wet foot.

    I like to think I would have done things differently now, but I am not sure I would.  Part of me is still looking for pratfalls.

    And yes, I have fallen on the ice.  But no one was around.  If no one is around when you fall on the ice, is it funny? 

    The answer is NO!

    Be safe out there.

Peace and Love