Re: Joy of this, Joy of that

On Sun, 8 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:

On Sun, 8 Dec 2024 12:06:38 +0100, D wrote:
>

Got it! Glad to hear it worked and isn't causing you any serious
trouble! =) I am starting to get a bit worried about my old father when
there's too much ice on the pavement. He did slip last winter on his way
home from the grocery store, but nothing serious. He's only a child
though (73) so plenty of more year to go!

>
Child? That makes me feel better since I have a few years on him.
>
The irony is I have a collection of YakTraks and micro-spikes that I use
when hiking. I was walking two blocks to the grocery store on mostly dry
pavement. There was a frozen puddle at the end of the company driveway
that I navigated around but missed an icy patch on the other side. I went
down fast and hard. Another pedestrian had seen me fall and asked if I was
okay. I said yes as I scrambled back up. Then I realized that wasn't going
to work. They called 911 since my phone was safely on my desk.

Ouch! Yes, those ice patches are treacherous! I have a friend who's now about 40, and I remember 10 years ago, in spring, he was running to the bus. In the shadow there was the tiniest 1 or 2 cm remainder of ice that he didn't see, and managed to hit exactly that spot, and fell and broke his leg.
In autumn, the leaves on the ground are out to get you, and in winter, the ice, in spring, it's the stubborn treacherous remains. In summer at least, we are safe! ;)
That makes me remember in my youth, when I lived in Oslo and in Zürich, in both cities, I lived at the top of a hill. Those winters were fun trying to walk to the office, down the hill, with snow and ice, in my office shoes. Fortunately I have a naturally good balance, so was able to "slide" down the hill. Getting back after work was quite a challenge though. ;)