Hey, one epic fail per day isn't a bad track record

Yesterday morning, we awoke to sub-freezing temperatures and an ice-covered world here in central Maine. This latest wintry insult made the simplest, shortest walks treacherous, thanks to conditions that transformed every horizontal surface into a skating rink.

But life went on. Chores had to be tackled. After battling (successfully) to open the encrusted chicken coop, I decided to clear off the car, which also was encased in ice.

The doors would not budge. I tried again. Same result. After the third attempt, I gave up, figuring I would have to heat the lock enough to defrost it. I cursed Old Man Winter. I cursed Mother Nature. I cursed the snow and ice gods. I cursed my rotten luck. Then I trudged back into the house. That's when I discovered another, far more likely, explanation for the problem: car keys hanging on a hook in the dining room.