Winter arrived, and this year the snow fell earlier than usual. How much joy for the children! What could be more fun than rolling in the snow and throwing snowballs at each other, and if you build snow forts, you can have a real snowball fight.
In every yard stands a snowman or snow woman. Children pull out sleds, ice sleds, and run in crowds up the hill. Winter is a good time of year. Winter break was in full swing. From the morning, the kids Misha, Vera, Katie, and Sasha, who lived on the same street called Frosty Street, agreed to go to the hill at the edge of the village.
In the morning everyone had breakfast, dressed warmly, armed with sleds, ice sleds, and snow sleds, and set off on their "long expedition." At the edge of the village was a deep ravine, and the hill here was high. Usually people came here from all over the settlement to have a good time. But the morning was still early, and the children found themselves alone here.
This is great!
Sasha cried out enthusiastically.
Good that we came early!
Yes, we'll ride to our heart's content!
Vera agreed.
And nobody will push us!
I'm going first!
Misha cried out, and already sat down on the sled.
We're right behind you!
The children cried out cheerfully and each sat on their own transport.
After sliding down merrily, the children decided not to go back up yet. They were always curious about what was happening around the bend of the ravine and where the small path led.
Come on, while there's no one around,
Said Sasha.
Let's play spies!
Oh, I'm a little scared!
Katie objected.
You're such a scaredy-cat!
Misha said reproachfully.
Wait for us here then, we'll look around ourselves and come back to ride.
No, that will make me even more scared.
Katie whispered barely.
Throwing all their equipment aside, the children went along the mysterious path. Turning around the protruding hill of the ravine, the children found themselves in a fairy tale.
How beautiful it was here! The willows looked as if frozen, all covered with a thin layer of ice. Even the tall sedge sticking out from under the snow was covered in ice. And on the flat surface sparkled an ice skating rink. Not far away stood a small hut, and you could see a faint light glimmering inside. Slowly our spies crawled up to the house and peeked in the window.
Inside, at a small table sat an old man and an old woman, and you could hear what they were talking about.
Sister, Icy Crust!
Said the old man.
I'm tired of staying home and walking around the yard. Maybe we should go to the village and have some fun?
I agree with you, brother Glaze Ice!
It's been a while since we've caused trouble.
We should give the local residents an icy test! Tomorrow, there's supposed to be a slight warming, so we'll get to work!
The ice crackled outside the window, and the old man hurried to look out and see what was happening. The children managed to hide, and when everything quieted down, they ran back to their hill.
Did you understand anything from their conversation?
Katie asked anxiously.
Personally, I heard something about icy crust.
Misha answered.
My mom, when she's getting ready for work, my dad tells her to be careful because there might be icy crust on the streets.
Is glaze ice the same thing?
Sasha asked.
Let's run home faster. Fyodor Petrovich should still be in the yard.
The children quickly gathered all their things and ran to their street and home. There were already more people in front of the house. Their yard was friendly, so all the neighborhood grandmothers, as soon as it got lighter outside, would come out for a walk and chat.
Out of breath, the children burst into the yard and rushed to the janitor, surrounding him from all sides.
Hello, Fyodor Petrovich, we found out that tomorrow there will be glaze ice and icy crust on the streets!
The weather forecast on TV didn't say anything about that!
The janitor answered in a commanding voice.
Believe us!
Said Katie.
We're telling the truth!
Fyodor Petrovich, is there really a difference between glaze ice and icy crust?
Misha asked.
I always thought they were the same thing!
Here's what I'll tell you.
The janitor began his story.
When I worked as an electrician in an office before retirement, this glaze ice caused a lot of trouble. I remember one night it rained, and the rain immediately froze and settled on the trees, the walls of houses, and worst of all, on the power lines. Under the weight of the glaze ice, many power lines broke throughout the village, and it took a long time to restore electricity to the houses. That's when I got to know Glaze Ice better. And how hard it is for tree branches under its layer, everything bends to the ground from the weight.
And icy crust?
Misha's grandmother Klavdiya Nikitichna, who was sitting nearby on a bench, joined the conversation.
Well, we old ladies dislike it the most. You can't get to the store or to the post office, it's too slippery. So during icy crust, we have to sit at home all day until it melts or our janitor Fyodor Petrovich sprinkles the paths in our yard.
What should you sprinkle on icy crust to make it not slippery?
Vera asked.
What else, salt of course!
Sasha exclaimed.
I saw how the sellers at the neighboring store do it. They sprinkle salt on the steps of the porch.
Salt really does fight ice well.
The janitor answered.
But it causes a lot of damage. It ruins shoes and car wheels. And plants suffer from it too.
I know that in big cities, ice is treated with special chemicals, and it starts to melt.
Said Katie.
Maybe we could do that in our yard tomorrow?
No chemicals!
Klavdiya Nikitichna objected categorically.
Let them damage the environment in their cities, but we won't allow it here! We'd rather stay home and not harm nature!
And all these reagents are expensive.
Added Fyodor Petrovich.
What about small pebbles then?
Suggested Misha.
They would also prevent shoes from slipping?
Fine gravel and stone chips are indeed a practical solution, but it's quite expensive. Although this method causes the least harm to the environment. And it can be reused.
Fyodor Petrovich, why invent something new? You've always sprinkled our yard with a thin layer of sand during icy crust, and it worked perfectly!
Klavdiya Nikitichna addressed the janitor.
I completely agree with you!
He turned to Misha's grandmother.
I also think this is the most accessible and effective way to protect the residents of our yard and the whole village from falling on ice. It makes the ice rough, thereby reducing slipping. And it doesn't harm plants as much.
Do you have sand prepared for tomorrow morning?
Asked Vera.
We know for sure that there will be heavy icy crust in the morning and even glaze ice!
Since you children are so worried about this, I'm happy to reassure you that I have two barrels full of sand at the corner, and icy crust won't scare us.
After the interesting conversation, everyone went home to drink hot tea and rest after the amazing spy game.
And in the morning they looked out the window, and everything was covered in ice. So Glaze Ice and Icy Crust really did play around during the night. But janitor Fyodor Petrovich wasn't afraid of them, and early in the morning he sprinkled all the paths in the yard with sand so that residents could safely go to work and the old ladies could go for a walk.
