Staff writer
Ida Hansen was walking on the sidewalk when she noticed that her right foot was wet.
“I must have stepped into a puddle or something,” the Marion resident said. “I’m usually really careful with the footing, especially after getting snow. Things are beginning to melt right now but there’s still some ice and snow on the walkways. It’s pretty dangerous. One slip could land you in the hospital for weeks.”
Hansen was one of the Marion seniors who dared to leave the comforts of their home in the days following the snowstorm that ravaged much of the Midwest Thursday, dropping more than 10 inches of snow.
Hansen said she was starting to get cabin fever after being forced to stay indoors all day — and just had to get out before she went insane.
“I’m pretty active for someone my age,” she said. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing. It drove me bonkers.”
Hansen made sure she left her house prepared for the wintry conditions Friday morning, donning her snow boots just before she walked out the door.
“These boots have really good traction,” she said. “I know that if I walk flat-footed, I’ll be safe.”
Others, like Mary Chilcott of Marion, said they got hit in the head with some of the runoff. But most didn’t mind too much.
Many Marion seniors said they were wearing flat shoes to help them with stability, but they said that even then, they plan to walk slowly and watch the sidewalk carefully whenever they go outside.