Be careful of ice-covered quilt blocks in downtown Kalona this winter

By Ron Slechta
Posted 1/4/22

I ended 2021 with a big bang!

I am not talking about fireworks or anything like that.

Friday afternoon the weather seemed good enough that I could finish the year by walking the mile from The …

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Be careful of ice-covered quilt blocks in downtown Kalona this winter

Posted

I ended 2021 with a big bang!

I am not talking about fireworks or anything like that.

Friday afternoon the weather seemed good enough that I could finish the year by walking the mile from The News office at 419 B Avenue to my home at 816 10th street, a mile which would have been good exercise to finish the year.

The paving appeared to be a little moist and the sidewalk in front of the office was dry. I made it all the way to the corner of B Avenue and 5th Street. The quilt block on the corner by Bordwell & Parsons Law office appeared to be moist so I went forward to cross at 5th Street.

To my surprise, the quilt block wasn’t wet. It had a thin layer of ice on it. There was just enough moisture in the air and the temperatures had dipped below 30 degrees, just the perfect condition for causing ice to form on the quilt block.

I stepped on the quilt block and

Bang!

I was flat on my back in the middle of the quilt block. As I was crawling over to the bench to help get up, a kind gentleman stopped at the intersection jumped out of his car and helped me get on my feet. 

Being a little shocked by the fall, I neglected to get his name.  If you are reading this column, Thank you very much.

Since I was a little embarrassed at taking the tumble, I was reluctant to mention it.

However, I wanted to stress the importance to others to be extremely careful when walking in downtown Kalona on potentially icy conditions. If a quilt block looks wet, maybe it would be best to walk around it. Stepping on the potentially icy surface could result in a serious fall.

I was fortunate to not suffer any serious injuries. The heavy winter coat I had on probably let me escape with a few sore muscles. It did put an end to my walking to and from work until the potential of icy sidewalks and streets come to an end this spring.

My wife has been bugging me about using our YMCA membership which I plan to do for a couple of months, at least.

Again, be careful of potential ice on quilt blocks. The sidewalk may appear damp, but ice can form quickly on the smooth surface of quilt blocks.

RCS

Another thing we need to be careful about is protecting ourselves and others from the COVID pandemic. Helen and I have had both shots and the booster, but we are still careful, especially whenever we enter any facility in Iowa City.

We are aware of a number of people who have had both shots, but still got Covid. This pandemic apparently isn’t going away anytime soon.