Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Ice and Snow Storm, 2009


We really have b
een fortunate! We had 21 straight hours of frozen precipitation!

It
started with sleet and freezing rain, then switched to snow, then went back to several hours of only freezing rain, to be followed by several hours of snow. I was just starting to drift off to sleep at about 2 a.m. when our electricity went out. Within one hour it was back on again.


Thomas and I lay a
wake listening to the eerie popping and cracking and crashing of ice-covered tree limbs and branches breaking and falling in the neighborhood. At 6 a.m. Thomas started to get up, and just as he did the electricity went off again. It was off a little longer this time, but not too long. We simply went back to sleep and waited for it to come back on.

The sun on the ice is beautiful, but look at how those branches are bowing.




Ice-covered sweet gum balls.



















Assessing the damage: This is whe
re a large branch from one of our maples came off.


Perhaps this is it here, where it landed on our fence.




















Perhaps this is it here, where it landed on our roof.










This is my foot as I set it lightly on
top of the snow-covered ice.














This is my foot as I step down
into the crusty snow.













And this is my foot when it finally touches gr
ound.














My stone bench in the front yard.













Along the creek on the easement.

14 comments:

sober white women said...

I sure do hope that you guys make it through this storm. Hey do you want to come visit? It is warm and sunny here. I know I know.....shut up! LOL
Kelli

Beth said...

Ugh, that looks brutal. I know exactly what you're talking about when you say that all the pops and cracks sound eerie. It's like the sound of things breaking.

I hope your power stays on, and that crews can get power restored soon to those who have lost it.

Stay warm, my friend!
Beth

ADB said...

Last time I saw a winter like that was 30 years ago. I do not envy you those ice-storms.

Gerry said...

Oh my gosh, I always feel so sorry for back east people caught in icestorms, and now you have brought an icestorm home to us in artful photography yet. I did have to smile at your footsteps. That was a novel idea, and the bench, and the branch on the roof, and I have wondered so often what do you people do when the electricity goes off for days instead of hours? Isn't that terribly dangerous. I can hardly get warm under my two quilts in sunny warm Phoenix, AZ. I felt so bad about that old guy freezing to death in his home because the utilities had been turned down. Thanks so much for this graphic display of an ice storm. I shuddered. Gerry

Ken Riches said...

Glad you did not have more damage :o)

Lori said...

Thank you Gerry! You know, we have never had our electricity off for more than a few hours since we've lived here. I saw a lot of people on the news who were going to shelters or just driving around or shopping at whatever stores were open just so they could stay warm. When I lived at home, we were able to burn wood, so we could always stay warm.

Celeste said...

Now I am even colder than before. Stay warm,

Char said...

Sorry about the winter storm and the damages to your home. I do not miss that stuff one bit since I moved to Florida. My family and friends in Kentucky got hit badly. When I told them it was 81* here ...they politely(?) said "BITE ME!"
Take care.

Anne said...

Oh MY! Keep warm and snuggle! Anne

Leigh/BlueDragonfly said...

Ice is the one winter hazard that I dread. While I complain loudly and often to anyone who will listen about the snow-I'd rather dig out of a foot of snow than have all that ice. I remember a few icestorms we had when I lived in Ohio.
Hope things stay okay with you guys and everyone affected by this storm.

:) Leigh

Lynne said...

I can handle snow, but ice...ick!

Missie said...

We luckily got 5 inches of snow and much ice at all.

Traci said...

Too bad it is so dangerous because it is so beautiful! Y'all got some real snow!

Lisa said...

Impressive photos Lori. We had the same storm it seems, only ours wasn't as bad. We didn't lose any trees but we've got a few inches of ice all over the ground which makes walking hazardous. Glad you came through it okay overall though.