Adventures in Ice

Another day that Oz is closed.  I woke up at 5:30 this morning to get some much-needed exercise.  I did Pilates to loosen up, then headed outside to scrape off the cars.  You might think this is a small endeavor - notice I did the Pilates to WARM UP.  I had to get in to the Explorer through the trunk, after ramming it with my shoulder about five times.  I attempted to crawl over the carseat, but since it is the size of a loveseat, that didn't work.  I again rammed the side door several times, until it popped open, damn near dumping my sorry butt onto the icy ground.  Thank goodness for those core muscles from the Pilates.

I got the truck started, then went to work on the real challenge - the Geo.  We started the Geo for about two nanoseconds yesterday - just enough to move it after we hit it trying to back out of the driveway - so it had been frozen solid for almost 48 hours by the time I tried to peel the sheet off the windshield and get the doors open.  Thankfully, the driver's side door had been opened in recent history, so I was at least able to start the car and turn on the rear defrost. It only took about 35 minutes for the rear defrost to loosen the inch of ice on the back window enough for me hack away a tiny hole, a little ice-fishing hole, so the windshield could gasp for air.

I can barely type now, my arms are so tired.  At one point, as I rammed down on the windows and door seals with my nuclear ice-scraper positioned much like Sharon Stone held her ice pick in Basic Instinct, I worried I might actually break the window. I thought how ironic it would be if I DID break the window, but the ice stayed intact.  I think that could happen.  But finally, I was able to open two doors and clear the front-side windows, the windshield and the back window on the car and everything on the truck. We now have two frozen-solid bedsheets languishing on our back patio - I'm pretty sure they will help us sell This Old House. That and the 100-year-old tree bent halfway over in the backyard. 

Freedom is an ice-free, startable car.