So it's Small Business Saturday soon at sensational stores and specialty shops across the Texas Panhandle, and you see, I'd speculated on shopping in Shamrock, along Route Sixty-Six. I had some simoleons to spend.

I was supposed to stay at a splendid little inn within spitting distance.

Since the first ice storm of the season suppressed my swing through that swath of the state, I'm still sitting here well south of the starting point. Sure, I have sustenance, snug shelter, and all services.

But outside, surfaces are slicker than . . . well, scroll swiftly down a list of Southern sayings and sundry scurrilous similes will show up. Mostly using s-words suggestive of salacious or scatological substances. I'll select a more suitable one, short and simple: Slick as sin.

Which is to say, stay settled in your sanctuary, be it shed, shack, shanty, or chateau (yeah, I know that one was cheating) until the sleet, snow, or whatever species of slippery stuff is spread over your streets and sidewalks has subsided.

So as soon as it's safe, sally forth, Shop Small, and support your select sellers. They're what make your specific spot special.

See you shortly.