Every tree limb, branch & twig was encased in ice.We lost our electric power the day before , but we were warm and snug inside as we enjoyed the Christmas card scenery from our living room in front of the wood stove.
Base camp the past few days was this spot in the living room. Look at how much light candles put out. We did a lot of reading, and we listened to our battery powered radio from here.
I had clusters of candles in places we needed light. These candles lit our rummy games. ( My husband was the big winner.)
Can you see the little chickadee amidst the iced branches ?
Hearth and mantle.Warmth & light.
With so much ice encasing them, the trees began to pop, crack, burst, explode, and shoot everywhere, or just drop and shatter.For a full 24 hours it was not safe to venture beyond our porch. The animals too, stayed under cover.The bird feeding area in the front of our home was destroyed.
The flowering plum tree and the vine maple will not live to see spring.
The goats could not get into their sleeping loft, but they did enjoy snacking on the barriers.
This broke my heart, one of my husband's bee-hives was shattered by cottonwood limbs, the bees were huddled together for warmth , to no avail.
Well, I guess we have to start all over again around here, but there is so much hard work, so many labors of love my husband invested in Cedar Pond.Now the clean-up begins, and I know this will take awhile but we'll get it done.
Meanwhile, I am keeping the fire going in the wood-stove. The power blipped out as I was down-loading pictures for this post. Winter has only begun and the wood stove has already worked hard to provide warmth. We cooked our meals on it and heated lots of water for baths and washing up. "It's not the case, though some might wish it so, Who from a window watch the blizzard blow. White riot through their branches vague and stark, That they keep snug beneath their pelted bark. They take affliction in until it jells To crystal ice beneath their frozen cells.." Richard Wilbur ~Orchard Trees, January
Last week there were two beautiful sunny days that just made it impossible to justify staying indoors even though I have so much to get done inside. The birds at the feeders were busy and their whistles, warbles and chirping were a pleasant sound to hear through my open windows.Above you can see a pair of Pine Siskins.
My dogs accompanied me to our road on the other side of our pond while I worked for a few hours cleaning up storm debris from the ice storm of February. The dogs are sitting in front of just one of the 5 piles of sticks, branches & limbs I pulled from our pond area.There is still a great deal of work to do before the pond is cleared of the fallen tree debris, but most of the work remaining will require hip waders, our small dinghy, a chain-saw, and more muscle than I can offer.
Doesn't look like much was accomplished, but ...
...here is how bad it looked before I started pulling stuff out.
At least you can tell we have a pond there now and not just a massive brush pile .
The best part of this weekend was the surprise visit from our oldest son. He just drove up the driveway all the way from the other side of the mountains, a 6 hour drive away, and said he was here to help , and he brought me flowers too! Here he is with my husband, they went right to work, beginning the repairs to my sheep shelter.First they had to move temporary fencing to keep my sheep in while they tore down the old structure.
You can see what falling trees and huge falling tree limbs did to the shelter. There was a ram confined here and it is a blessing he was not crushed by so much weight on the tin roof.
I was just humming with joy to have 3 of the important men in my life repairing the shelter for my sheep ~ my husband, my oldest grandson, and my oldest son. My youngest son & his wife were having a great time watching our oldest son's daughters, thank-you! Thank-you daughter for allowing us to have your oldest son for the weekend too.
With all the storm destruction around here, and lots of work to be done just to repair the damage, at least we can smile as we enjoy the antics and cuteness of lambs while we work. Lots of cuteness, lots of work, life is good ~ thank-you God. "Out of the south comes the storm, and out of the north the cold. From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen. Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. And it changes direction, turning around by His guidance, that it may do whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth. Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen." Job 37 : 9-13
