The Ice Cometh

We have had snow the last three days which means I've shoveled the walks three times. Fortunately we did not get the freezing rain that caused ice storms to the east of us. But now with the sun, low temperatures, and wet walkways I am battling ice. The sun is melting the snow off the porch roof creating a thin slab of ice on the porch concrete and the steps leading up to it. The sun is also melting the snow piled up on either side of the sidewalks creating the same thin slabs of ice.

This afternoon I got a flat shovel and broke up and removed most of the ice. I then sprinkled Paw Safe deicer on what ice I could not remove. Normally I do not have this problem as the sun warms the sidewalks up enough to evaporate any melting snow but the wind is keeping the temps low enough that the sidewalks stay wet and then freeze. I would rather have two feet of snow than an eighth-of-an-inch of ice on the porch and sidewalks. What I find scary about the whole thing is that you cannot tell if the sidewalk is just wet or if what you are about to step on is ice.