Q. Can you please tell me, will all that ol’ slippery black ice be gone by midnight March 21, 06. If not then; when? -Skye

A. Who in the world do you think I am, Skye? Mother-freakin’-nature? I know I’m good at answering these, but Geez! If I knew things like that I wouldn’t be doing this column. I’d hang out my shingle,(Madame BJ), put on a long full skirt, wrap a multi-colored scarf around my head and make my fortune, but I digress. I’d better shape up and get serious. Hmmmm Well, I’m assuming that you are arriving up here on a ‘red eye’ flight. That sounds about right for arrival time. And while I’m assuming I’ll assume the black ice will all be gone since that is the first day of Spring! Yeah Spring. I love it!

For those of you who don’t know, black ice is that deadly ice which covers the roadways periodically in the winter, and you don’t know it is there because the pavement looks like its same old black asphalt-ey self. You don’t know you’re on ice until you have to brake for something – and then God help you! Fortunately, we don’t have black ice all the time. But I will say you can bust your butt just as royally on white ice as on black. Hope you have a fine time in Alaska, Skye. -Bonnie J.