Power and Ice

We have spent the past couple of days holed up in our house with no power enjoying the aftermath of quite the ice storm. Every tree is coated in ice and with temperatures due to go to 10 below zero tonight, nothing is melting. It is impossible to capture the true beauty (or the devastation) that surrounds us right now. Last night, the full moon shining through the ice was a sight to behold.


There is a certain lethal feeling to it all as big shards of ice have been raining down from the sky. I feared for my car windshield and Lou's head as she walked to our neighbor. It sort of fit in with all the ice-cold vampire books that are being devoured right now in our house.

Happily we have a generator that runs the furnace, water pump, refrigerator, and one outlet. Last night the neighbors called to find out just what the generator was running....they needed warmth and a diversion so they brought over a box of cream puffs from their melting freezer and a bottle of wine. We rigged up a sheet on the wall and plugged our projector into a looooong extension cord for a neighborhood movie night.


Silly me--for the past two years I've been carrying whatever I need to the outlet and plugging it in. Last night, I finally realized we could....um....use an extension cord and run it to crucial electronic devices such as the DVD player and the coffee pot.

After going out to get more gas for the generator and to buy Nels a birthday cake (since we had no oven), we got home to find the power back on. Isn't that always how it works?

dawn klinge  – (December 13, 2008 at 6:51 PM)  

I'm so glad that you're all o.k. I was reading the news and thinking of you over the past couple of days. Those pictures you took really do make it look beautiful.
It looks like it's our turn now in the pacific northwest. It's expected to get into the negative digits by Monday, with strong winds and snow. We stocked up on firewood today in case the power goes out.

Anonymous –   – (December 13, 2008 at 7:28 PM)  

I'm glad you came through relatively unscathed...and emergency that includes cream puffs can't be all bad! Our big storm didn't produce much snow, but it's windy and very cold. A good day to stay inside and have hot chocolate, in my opinion, though the kids did go out for a bit to sled.

denise  – (December 13, 2008 at 9:05 PM)  

I was wondering how you were doing there...it is great you have a generator for those times without power. We have supplies (food, water, candles, campstove, etc.) but no alternative power source...and no fireplace, so we have been contemplating doing something about that.

Ice is always so crazy. Beautiful and debilitating.

Anonymous –   – (December 14, 2008 at 12:06 AM)  

Gosh! An ice storm! I've never heard of such a thing! And here I sit in 36Celcius heat and humidity smelling the mangoes wafting from the fruit basket!

Linda  – (December 14, 2008 at 12:53 AM)  

Your photos are so beautiful!!

Anonymous –   – (December 14, 2008 at 8:00 AM)  

Oh my goodness it looks so magical - what lovely photos. Hope you're all well and as someone who has experienced many power cuts in recent years I can say that there is a beauty about them isn't there. It helps you all come together, stop and connect. Hope the storm wasn't too bad though.

Angela  – (December 14, 2008 at 1:11 PM)  

It all sounds so lovely though. I almost wish for a power outage in the winter...the time is so magical for our family.

It sounds like a good time was had by all!

queen of the castle  – (December 14, 2008 at 3:40 PM)  

Oh, Sarah, I am reminded of the time when I was still living in Oklahoma and I walked through the woods after an ice storm. I could cut through anywhere without thorns and branches snagging my coat. In was indeed magical. I have absolutely no recollection of a power outage, although I'm sure there was one!

We are getting an ice/snow mix today here in MN . Hope you are still faring ok. I think that our ancestors must laugh out at us modern folks who can't get by without electricity. We're so dependent

Anonymous –   – (December 14, 2008 at 3:58 PM)  

A storm does have someting magical right? Almost as nature is saying to us, to connect with each other and have a wonderfull and cozy time with the ones we love.

I hope you are all safe and sound and that you can keep enjoyting the prettyness of the snow.

Anonymous –   – (December 15, 2008 at 10:38 AM)  

Glad to hear you all made it through the storm safely. I am waiting to hear from many folks in the area in hopes of hearing the same.

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