Thursday night an ice storm hit Atlanta. I stayed home from work Friday, preferring to use a vacation day rather than risk the treacherous roads. I felt vaguely guilty about this most of the day, a guilt which was alleviated when we ventured out around 4:30 to go to the Target about 2 miles away. During the day, it had become apparent that our electric heat pump was not adequate to deal with the cold, pet-wise. A heat pump can only make so much difference depending on the outside temperature, which is 97% of the time perfectly adequate and very economical. However, with Atlanta colder than Anchorage, Alaska (I'm not kidding) the Chihuahuas were too cold and we could tell we needed a second space heater. Luckily for me, they coped with the cold by snuggling up next to me under a fleecy blanket while I cross-stitched; it was a great afternoon.

Off to Target we went, but we nearly didn't make it. Our normal route to the main road, which I'd have taken to try to get to the highway had I attempted to go to work, was iced over with several swerve marks in the snow, where people had tried to make it and lost control. Our 'next-most-normal-route' included a steep hill, also a solid sheet of ice. We got to Target via a circuitous route through a nearby subdivision and it was still chancy in several places. I'd never have made it to the interstate in the morning, and a friend reports that downtown Atlanta was mostly a solid sheet of ice, particularly at intersections. I'm glad I didn't risk it.

Right now it's 25 degrees Fahrenheit, up from 17 earlier this morning. We're hoping it gets warm enough to melt the ice so we can make a run to the grocery store - it's not supposed to get above freezing tomorrow, so although we do have enough food if we can't get out, I thought a nice big pot of chili would be a good thing. Also, we are running dangerously low on Pupperoni; many other treats abound so the four-legged members of the family will be okay anyway, but still - Pupperoni and chili are good things.