It is even acceptable at Comerica Park these days where the field is slowly morphing into a huge outdoor skating arena in advance of the various upcoming hockey fests. But, in the driveway and sidewalks, well … not so much. Robb had a breakfast gathering with some old friends so I eased into my day, knowing in advance that the weather was not in my favor for a walk this morning. I stayed curled up in bed, with headphones on, listening to portions of the memorial service and tributes to Nelson Mandela. The media is reporting that this gathering may surpass any other attendance at a memorial service by current or former world leaders and the public. I probably learned more about Nelson Mandela since his passing last Thursday than I ever knew before. The retrospectives about his life have been very comprehensive. I reluctantly got up and plodded out to the kitchen to get my day rolling and start by having breakfast. I felt badly about tabling the walk again, but that freezing drizzle yesterday took its toll on the roads and sidewalks and the “fraidy cat” that I am, I did not want to risk falling and going down hard. I chuckled at the weather forecaster’s remark that “Mother Nature is giving us the cold shoulder” – well, that is putting it mildly, if you’ll pardon the pun. I did venture out, just to start my car after hearing that it was 13 degrees with a wind chill of 1 below zero. Even though it is an attached garage and I had to buy a new battery last year, I thought it prudent to go out and at least turn the engine over. I wish I was able to access the garage from the house, but that is not doable, so I had to traipse outside. It took longer to dress for the short excursion than the actual trip for goodness sake. I opened the door … yikes! I walked gingerly along the side of the house. Whew … I made it to the garage without taking a tumble and was glad to be on non-ice terra firma inside the garage. I didn’t try to back the car up as space is at a premium on either side of the car and since it was slick in the driveway, so I just turned the engine over, ran it for a minute and then I high-tailed it as quickly as I could on the lightly glazed cement, back into the house. Home sweet home … oh wait – I was home! Then everything was a blur so I had to stand by idly before I could lock up, fix the rag rugs at the door, then head downstairs to deposit my warm weather gear. I hate when my eyeglasses fog up and I just started wearing my glasses again after wearing contacts for 35 years. While I am okay with “the look”, I forgot about the aggravation of waiting for my glasses to clear so I could see again after coming inside out of the cold. But removing my glasses would have been worse since I’ve worn corrective lenses for 50 years and cannot see anything anymore without my spectacles. Oh bother!!! The deep freeze is expected to last at least all week so walking is iffy for now and perhaps my year-end goal may now not be met. Grrrrr. There is always next year, she grumbled resignedly.