It snows at Butler. The maintenance crew puts salt on the sidewalks so students and faculty don’t fall down when moving from building to building in the freezing Indianapolis winter. This is much appreciated, since I like to retain the use of both legs. Dancing is much easier with all limbs fully functional.

In this case, I don't think even salt would help remove the snow.

However, salt gets stuck to shoes. Shoes walk on the kitchen floor. Ergo, the kitchen floor gets coated with salt, and it’s disgusting.

After scrubbing and scrubbing at the kitchen floor on my hands and knees with Magic Eraser, with vinegar, and with soapy water, I hit upon a solution. Put a mat next to the front door and remove wet, salty shoes upon entry! Simple, neh?

My two remaining roommates–the troublesome one having left for Nantes for a semester abroad, leaving us bereft but thankfully free from the horrid, horrid cupcakes she forced us to eat–were kind enough to agree to go along with this plan. I shall inform you of our progress.

The physics smackdown is over. Let the war with salty floors commence.

The Butler ducks don't have to worry about salt in their pond by the bell tower. I took this picture when I was a freshman and liked pretending to be a nature photographer.