Everyone in the mid-west OK

I was trying to get in touch with an insurance company based in Iowa I need some info from. When I finally got through there was a message stating that there was minimal staff because of the weather and unless it was an emergency, please call back when the weather clears. This is a very big company so it must be really bad out there.

No problem here so far - it is actually above freezing and dripping. But wait until the temps drop tonight! The ice already on everything will be killer!

Pat > Chime in as soon as your power and ISP are back on!

It is. I got snail mail from a friend in Iowa who was getting cabin fever, bad enough to have to stay indoors for days on end, but with no TV! (So she amused herself writing four pages by hand). And e-mail with photos from a friend in Missouri, where they lost a lot of tree limbs (but not their power), and her DH thinks at least one tree is going to have to be taken down.

Hmmmmm, y'know, the one in Iowa did mention her phone was working, so maybe I'll call her today and "keep her company", since they're supposed to be having more Weather today.

Here in mid-Missouri, the worst was actually Saturday night into Sunday - anything outside had at least 1/2 inch of ice on it. Today, it is 36 or so and raining and actually melting, but I worry about after dark.

Our only problems were losing the DSL line on Sunday (fixed Monday) and one of my dogs (the English setter) made himself sick - he couldn't stand on the ice in the backyard. (The girl squats and seems to handle ice and snow better overall all - must be those dainty border collie paws). Once I figured it out, I took him out near the bushes where he (gratefully) relieved himself.

Linda

We have been very lucky in Springfield, IL! Roads were bad on Saturday and Sunday, but have been improving, and today it is melting a bit. After dark the temperature will drop, so we may get more freezing rain. We have NOT lost our power, thank goodness! And I hope we don't lose it!

My dog has had her first rather relaxed day today. She was born with a bum leg and generally gets around very well, but ice is a problem for her. I put ice-melt on the steps for her, but she wants to venture into the yard to do her jobs, and that has not been easy at all, poor thing! She has been really stressed out over the ice, and has been shedding like crazy, which happens when she's stressed. I am hoping the weather folks are right and the end of the ice is tonight.

Since I am retired I can stay at home during bad weather, and try to be well-prepared with food, medicine, etc. Today I finally got the car out and ran to the grocery store for fresh produce. I understand there isn't a single bag of ice-melt stuff for sale anywhere in the city, but they are expecting more to arrive tomorrow. I generally wait until the end-of-season sales and stock up then, so I'm OK and able to keep the back steps clear for the dog and the front steps clear for the mail carrier.

It's been a real mess all over the Midwest US, but is getting better now!

As for us in Wisconsin, we've been lucky so far! But what a mess! Hope all is well, Carol In WI

I got a chance to watch the news tonight and it looks bad. All that ice brings the lines down and makes them hard to fix. Good thoughts going out to everyone !

Not horrible here in eastern Kansas. Northeast of Kansas City seems to have gotten the worst of it for this area. St. Joseph, MO was entirely without power for a time. We had a day off school, but the roads were actually decent.

Karen E.

Kitty litter is also supposed to work pretty well. I've never tried it, since we live in the country and have no sidewalks. Or, if you have them, ashes from a fireplace. When we had our huge blizzard/ flood in '97, my horse's legs were frozen in the water that had flowed overland and then froze about an inch thick. We had to get her out of the pasture (what pasture? it was a solid sheet of ice!) and she couldn't walk on the ice. DH got ashes from the fireplace and spread them out, which gave her enough traction to get her out and up to higher ground, i.e. the lawn around the house. Sure made it a lot easier to feed her and she'd come up to the kitchen window and watch us eat at the table. :)

Joan

Do not use clumping cat litter for ice, you will just have a gummy mess. It's the regular litter that is good for ice and very ecologically friendly.

You should get the horses those shoes that look like the bottom of golf shoes and then they can get a grip on ice and snow. We used them on the horses in Switzerland.

Not for horses, but for people: I just bought a pair of YakTrax at the recommendation of a friend, and was chagrined to see that it's for use only on unshoveled snow. The problem is, in city walking there's never ALL unshoveled or ALL shovelled - always a combination of both. I haven't tried them yet, so can't fully evaluate, but maybe someone else has.

Sue

I've seen them advertised but never seen anyone using them. I suppose they could cause you to slip on bare pavement. The thing that impressed me was how easily they slipped over your shoe.

Days like today when a storm passed through, I just cancelled my eye appointment and remade it for January and made plans for staying in. I believe I do the worker bees a favour by not further jamming up the roads. We had a death in the city this a.m. due ice/snow accident. It will all be cleared up tomorrow, then I will emerge lol

Sue, you're the second person to recommend them today; I'm hitting EMS tomorrow

Amber here in central Illinois. We've had several days of ice covered roads and freezing rain. Thank goodness we didn't lose our power. Some local towns have been without power all week. The ice covered roads and freezing temps have been a good excuse to stay inside and stitch. A good hot cup of tea and my stitching and I am a happy soul.

Amber

Ah, but she wasn't shod at all! I've never ridden my horses enough that they need shoes.

Joan

That's different lol We used to have them shod with the spiked ones once the snow was packed down, then one person rode the horse and you had gear, rather like water skiing gear, strung out behind and somebody skiied behind the galloping horse. It was great fun, you needed good goggles because the hooves churned up some lethal divots. It was called skijoering and I think originated in Scandinavia somewhere.

That does sound like fun!

Joan