For abouttwo weeks this massive drift of snow and ice has been steadily drooping lower and lowersome twenty feet above our back porch. As the brutal weather warmed, theoverhang grew icicle teeth and dripped, menacing us below with a sheet of iceon the porch steps while we wondered when the frozen hulk above would finallycome crashing down, hopefully not while someone was on the landing. 

Our personalSword of Damocles is a perfect illustration of one of the primary elements ofstory-telling,...