A Cold Swim

A lot of our small ponds have a lot of ice on them already. Not frozen shut, but still a lot of ice. This duck was on our mill-pond. It rarely freezes completely shut because of moving water, but does get close. It always amazes me that the waterfowl can sustain such cold water temperatures. If a human gets in water this cold...it doesn't take very long until hypothermia takes over. I know that because I've seen the movie Titanic too many times. It must have something to do with the birds insulation. It makes me cold to watch them.

I ventured a few feet off the sidewalk into the snow to try to get closer. I was fine going down, but lost my footing on the way up. Not enough to tumble...but just enough to give me a small thrill.

In my Post Office days...after the first snow...we used to start the Fall Classic. Using the honor system (which challenged quite a few people)...you had to report the next morning that you took a spill. Others couldn't laugh until someone asked..."I'm so sorry...are you OK?" Then everyone could chuckle.

We had rules and everything. If you started down...and caught yourself with one hand...(3 points touched)...that was called a save. You had to touch at least 4 parts of your body. I had one fall when I leaped from a 4 foot hill into a driveway that was a 12-pointer. Roll after roll, and not the kind you eat.

I never made it through 1 winter season without a fall. Some years I had a single fall, while my record was 5 falls in 1 slippery season. OUCH!! That high year...as the winner/loser, I had to buy doughnuts when springtime showed up. They didn't taste good...not even the nuttys.

Never much fun to fall...but I did learn one thing. If you're going to go..go. Don't try to fight it. One time...when I tried to fight it...I wrenched my back, and spent 5 weeks in bed. That really chews into your sick leave. That single fall still haunts me today. It shows up, and "talks" to me when I try to do too much.

Stay on your feet! Be aware of your next foot-plant!