Thawing

I tried to go running yesterday morning, just like I do every day.  But the icy layer covering every single surface made it physically impossible to run.  I could barely walk.  It was beautiful.  Dangerous, but beautiful.

We were some of the lucky ones.  While hundreds of thousands were out of power, we were snuggled safely in our cozy home.  And while many flights were cancelled and the runways closed much of the day, Erin's flight from New York somehow managed to land without delay.

We are definitely counting our blessings, but we did have one casualty.  The tall evergreen tree near our front porch succumbed to the weight of the ice.

The corner of our roof kept it from falling entirely.  No branches have been lost but the roots are coming up out of the ground.  I'll be sad to see it go.

 Our neighborhood looks a bit like a war zone with downed trees lining all the streets.  It's sad to see all the damage.

 The temperatures went up this morning and the ice has been falling off all the branches with loud cracks and crashes.  We're finally starting to thaw out.  But I think we'll be cleaning up from this mess for quite some time.  While many will be out of power for several more days to come, I'm going to be grateful for the simple pleasure of electricity.

This will be one of those storms we'll be talking about for years to come.