Winter came early- Ice Storm Nov. 2018

 Winter came early this year, with a pretty significant ice storm before Thanksgiving.   Almost the entire county lost power.  Our own power was out for over 5 days.  Kids were out of school and we all had a bit of cabin fever.

It was too cold  (and slippery) to hike the woods, but i did take a walk up the road just to snap a few pictures.  The main roads were mostly clear, except for tree branches that snapped and trees down because of the weight of the ice.  Our road wasn't too bad, but the Parkway was closed for quite a while so they could clear the roads and clean up the mess left from all the ice.

There was a heavy layer of ice on every.  Pretty, but destructive.

We were quite lucky that we didn't have any damage at our house. We have a gas powered generator so we were able to keep the refrigerator and deep freezer running and didn't lose all the food we grew, foraged and preserved in the freezer.  We were able to stay warm with the woodstove and heat water on it for tea.

November is really pretty early for a winter storm. Some years i've grown lettuce and leafy greens into December, but this year every was done by the second week in November. Even the plants in the greenhouse froze solid.

Although it's destructive, ice is always so beautiful. It seems to stop time and capture everything in a thick layer of glistening stillness.  i was not ready for winter to come so early, but definitely gave in and submitted once it arrived.  Some years i refuse to accept winter and fight it, but i've gotten much better at embracing it, slowing down and welcoming the quietness of the season.

I am grateful for the silence of winter mornings, for the beauty and wonder of the glint of sunlight in frost melting to dew, for the early-riser's peaceful solitude that sets a mood of thankfulness, hope, and calm for the dawning day. ~Terri Guillemets