Turning Back

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Normally I have great determination to do what I set out to do. Something, more likely Someone, nudged me to turn back on the icy road. It looked about the same as yesterday, but testing the ice told me it was slicky and dangerous for walking. The ice had melted and refrozen so that the gravel was covered, giving no traction. When I walked back home, I noticed Holly’s car was warming up. In minutes she would be driving where I refused to walk. I laughed at the difficulty I had in taking the phone out of my pocket and getting it unlocked. Dictation was the only way to get my message on the screen, but I was able to warn her in time. She let me know when she got to work safely.

Instead of giving up the walk, I did three laps from my driveway to the icy road and three short laps in front of neighbor Julie’s house. Julie came out with dog Mickey. She listened to my warning, but she felt it was safe for her to walk in the leaves. Indeed she was safe! She is more nimble and sure-footed than I am. I would not have stepped down, well off the road into the leaves.

I went home when I thought I’d been out long enough. It was 18F -7.778C, and my nose felt like a snowman’s carrot. Perfect! I went inside about the same time I would have if I had walked to the stop sign. Hopefully I won’t see anyone soon in case I am tempted to boast of being sensible, for a change.

Spell checker objected to my word “slicky”. It suggested SLICKLY. Has anyone ever used slickly in a sentence in your hearing???

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Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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47 thoughts on “Turning Back”

  1. You have been quite busy this morning already, while I just got up for the second time! I went out with dogs, and fed birds at 8 but then Reggie and I went back to bed for a nap. It was 30 then, and supposed to be another “warm” day in the 50s for the third day straight, and then it gets wickedly cold for the next couple of weeks.

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  4. So glad you are erring on the side of being safe (if it is indeed an error). Love your workaround plan of keeping it super local, but still moving.

    > Spell checker objected to my word “slicky”. It suggested SLICKLY. Has anyone ever used slickly in a sentence in your hearing???

    I don’t think I have heard of either usage. I would just say it was slick. Back in college I dated a guy from PA who called things slippy instead of slippery. Since then I have heard other people from that area say the same. Language and dialects are so fun!

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  5. I’m glad you turned back. You have to listen to your spidey sense! I don’t think slickly is right but then neither is slicky. Just slick is all you need, as in – the road was slick.

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  7. Spellcheck has it’s own dictionary! 🙂 Everyone has different skills and it’s best to listen to your own head about that. That may be safe for someone else could land you in the hospital!

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  8. You were smart! Last thing you need is a broken hip! Whether God turned you around or your own common sense, you listened!
    I’m glad I’m not visiting at this time if its only 18°!!

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  9. Good thing you turned back better safe the sorry and slicky and slickly have different meanings well that’s what Google told me when I looked them up and I don’t think I have every used slickly

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  11. You were wise to not try the slicky part. Always listen to that inner voice.

    No problem with slicky on my end. I’ve never heard it used before, but it wasn’t flagged by spellcheck. If it’s not a word, so what. Make up your own words if you want to! I told my son the tires on our car were sort of slippy, so be careful when driving in snow. I have slippy tires. And yes, spellcheck doesn’t like that word. 🙂

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  13. It sounds very cold there, you must be sending that cold to us this weekend!

    I am glad you were able to get out and walk, even if your regular route was not safe!

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  14. No, I have not used or heard of “slickly” and in my reading of this post, I saw “sticky” not “slicky” – hmm. I need new glasses evidently. I am going to try to go to the Park tomorrow, but, like you, I am wise enough to similarly turn back if it doesn’t look like I can walk safely. They salted while I was out shoveling this morning, but we’ve had more snow. So it will depend, but we finally got above freezing and the windchill was above freezing after being in single digits a good part of the week. I’ll feel badly for the critters if I don’t go as it may be another week ’til I get there, but I am not taking chances now that I’m getting older.

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      1. Yes, I waited until around 10:30 or so and went today as the salt got rid of the ice. The Park was a mess to be honest, but the dump truck had flattened the snow, so it was bearable and most of all safe. After today, I won’t get there for a week … so I did my “put your toe ahead of you and move it to ensure there is no ice” routine.

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          1. Yes, I worry I can’t tell it is ice, like black ice. I can remember many years ago when I took the bus to work. I only had to walk up one city block to get to the main street then a half block to where I boarded the bus. We had freezing rain once – our entire street was a sheet of ice. My mom had the weather on and there were all the precautions of walking and driving. It took me at least one hour to walk what normally was a five-minute walk. I went on people’s lawns, but had to cross driveways … I was terrified and was so happy to get on the bus where the main drag was salted. I will never forget that feeling. I should have taken a personal day, but no “Ms. Dedicated to her Job” did not do that.

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  17. Indeed yout weather. Here’s cold & warm weather. I have heard other people from that area say the same. Language and dialects are so fun!

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  19. ”Though he was sickly, he stole the package off my doorstep slickly.” That would work but it wouldn’t have been my first choice. We are headed for bitter weather next week. I will be staying in.

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