So last night I told you about our impromptu snow day (more like an ice day) and how I needed to remember to act like a kid sometimes and just enjoy those moments that I couldn’t control. Last night I was quickly reminded that after dark you have to turn into an adult again, otherwise the world can be a very scary place.
I was just settling in to go to sleep at 11:30 when some strange buzzing sounds and light flashes woke me up before all went dark and silent. We lost power. Not only that, but it seemed a transformer blew- Zach saw a bright flash of turquoise light in the backyard that was so bright, at first he thought we had been hit by lightning (personally, I was wondering if the wizarding world of Harry Potter was finally going to reveal itself to us. Or perhaps they did, but then they did a memory charm and convinced us a transformer blew- eh, possible?). The neighborhood was dark, it was late, so we locked the critters in the room with us and cuddled up to stay warm as we listened to the ice falling outside.
At 2:00am we awoke to a crash in the backyard. In my frazzled state of half-wakefulness I thought I heard someone yelling, but was later told that no, it must have been a part of my dream. I lived in the woods growing up, and I know the sound of falling branches and trees- that definitely fit the bill. As we ran to the back door to get a better look, I was convinced that I would find a tree protruding from the neighbor’s house, or, at the very least, a smashed fence. Lucky for me, my fears were unfounded. The neighbors behind us have a few large trees. Between the weight of the ice, the expanding and contracting from the temperature changes and the force of the wind- the top just couldn’t handle it anymore and it snapped- toppling right into our yard and scraping against our patio awning and the back fence on its way down as it showered ice over our roof and cement patio. We got lucky, it didn’t seem to do any damage (except, perhaps, to the bush it landed on).
So back to bed we went, cuddled up to the cat and the dog (luckily at this point, our power was back on and things were starting to warm up a little bit). We were a tad jumpy, eyes opening wide every time we heard more ice fall. But eventually we lulled ourselves back to sleep.
Crash! The next one was at 4:00am, and at this point, I was beginning to feel like a pro, though, admittedly, it sounded closer to our bedroom than the last one. With the ease of a scene previously well choreographed, we locked the animals in and stepped out to investigate. Same thing happened, just a little farther down, just a little closer to our bedroom. The shape loomed ahead in the dark as we shone our flashlights at it. Once again, we were very fortunate- for the second time it hit in the postage stamp part of the yard that was unused. So back to bed we went, once again jumpy to all sounds of falling ice.
It was quieter after that. At 6:30 the dog couldn’t handle it anymore and had to be taken out potty, but by then the steady crashing of ice had abated- though you could see the war it had waged on our house in the form of ice balls and shards scattered across our patio. The dog stepped carefully before running back inside to the warmth that awaited him.
When it sounded like everything had been calm for a few hours, we went out to explore our little winter wonderland. About five minutes after taking pictures of the ice hanging off of one particular tree, we watched a big piece of it snap off and tumble into the yard. Needless to say, we have retreated back to the safety of the house and have put all critters on lock down until I feel comfortable that they will not get impaled by dropping debris. We still hear the occasional snap and crash as another branch falls into the icy hands of its own fate. One more hit the house, but it was spindly and didn’t do much from what I could tell looking out the window.
Our road is still frozen, but the temperatures are slowly creeping to the upper thirties, so I have hope that we will escape the ice castle today. It will probably take a while because there is still such a thick sheet coating everything. In the meantime, I will live off of coffee, which I keep a bountiful supply of. Though I must admit, I am getting quite sick of the soup that I stocked up on when I had the flu. I will do the laundry I have been ignoring all week. When we can finally cruise off our hill, I think I will enjoy a nice big burger or eat a whole pizza to myself. Just because it’s something different.
Whatever your weather, be safe out there my friends.
Tipsy Typer 