We’re in the midst of a two-day ice storm here in northern Ohio and reports are that there is more to come. Many people say they don’t like the Ohio winters because the weather is so cold. The cold is not usually the biggest problem. When the temperature is 32 degrees and it starts to rain—that’s when it can get rather interesting.

We spent the last two nights in the dark as the coating of ice stretched the local power lines to the breaking point. Luckily the power failures occurred well into the evening with a 14-hour stretch of normal service in between. Today the power returned shortly before noon, which was none too soon as the expansion tank for our well water was drained dry, and with no electricity to power the pump, it was just going to stay that way.

The good part about an ice storm is, of course, that the landscape takes on a magical, glass-like appearance that can be breathtaking in the right light. It’s an event that happens very rarely, and it’s a real visual treat when it does. But watch out for the falling tree limbs!