Ice

[melissajm]

When they said "Ice storm warning," they weren't kidding...
Tech Support and I woke up to that dark, muffled silence of an electronic world unplugged, broken by the gunshot cracks of ice-laden tree limbs breaking. The sun rose on beautiful devastation: a blue silk sky over a glittering crystal world. The beloved birch tree in our front yard looks like a bowed, weeping, diamond-haired angel. At least 2 large branches are cracked off. It's battered from a past ice storm already. We hope it'll spring back. Tech Support spent the morning hauling downed branches, and his coat's stained from pine pitch. (anyone know how to get out, not the pitch itself, but the stains it leaves?)

We were lucky. We got power (and heat) back after 2-3 hours, and the house and cars are fine. My dad, at his camp up north, has to shovel 6" of snow. Their house, where my mom is, is in a State of Emergency area. She has no power. One of my sisters has no power AND standing water in her cellar. (She has a woodstove and an emergency water system, thank goodness!) I don't think the other sister has power either.

Prettiest pain in the butt ever.

Comments

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

We didn't used to get them so often -- we'd get blizzards. Ice storms were more common in warmer, but still temperate areas, like Ohio and Kentucky. But global warming. I'd frankly rather have 3 feet of snow than an ice storm. At least with that much snow, you don't feel like you're slacking when you stay home. Ice storms, the trees look beautiful, the pavement looks fine. Then you step on it. If you're me, over you go.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Yeah-the snowbanks used to be much higher!
I'd rather drive in snow than ice.