So I think spring is coming to Vladimir...eventually. It's still pretty darn cold (the low tonight is 3F), but lately the sun has been shining. Although that makes for a pleasant day, it also melts the ice and snow that covers every walking surface here in town. Although it hasn't snowed much at all for probably a month, the sidewalks remain uncleared, and now most of them are covered with about a five-inch-think layer of hard, dirty ice. And, because the top layer of that ice melts during the day and then refreezes into a glassy-smooth sheet at night, it is really treacherous to walk around this town.  Russians are pretty good at the half-walking, half-skating commute home, but even they fall sometimes. Here's to hoping that spring eventually comes and melts this whole icy mess.