Ice Reflections

I am in Portland today, where it is all about ice. A bout of freezing rain has enveloped the western portion of the state, as the temperature hovers in that vague region around 32 degrees. Like some kind of meteorological thin-film deposition, a sheen of ice coats every surface. Walking on the driveway seemed too precarious, so I opted for the egg-sized stones beside it. But they didn't shift under my feet as usual! Iced together into a solid mass, they actually offered less purchase than the flat driveway simply because my feet had less surface area to contact! The surest footing was on the grass, pleasantly crunchy like frozen green beans straight out of the package. Some roads have been sanded, but many remain an adventure in friction-free travel.

Apropos of the day, Portland is hosting the US Figure Skating Championships this week. We watched the men this afternoon, behaving far more gracefully on the ice than I did.

The world seems encased, limited by this hard surface, this glass skin. Although chemically the same as snow, this ice is a whole different beast. Melting snow can be a sad sight, a diminishing of soft fluffiness and a dirtying of freshness. But when this ice melts, it will bring freedom.