We had a heavy ice storm that started Thursday the fifth. Power went out that evening at 8:30 and was out until about 4:30PM Sunday and then went out for another 12 hours or so about an hour and a half later.

The ice was loading the trees so heavily that it sounded like duck season with all the branches popping all over the place. There is still a little ice left in places even after a high of 67 this afternoon.

It knocked down the power line to my shop and left a huge mess. I did some cutting last Wednesday but there was so much ice in the downed branches, it was tough to deal with. I started cutting everything in lengths less than six feet so that it will fit in the front end loader and making piles where I could get at them with the tractor without tearing up the lawn too much. Once the ground dries out enough to support the tractor I'll start a burn pile out in the meadow.

I got the power line up for the shop this afternoon. The strain relief line was knocked down by a falling limb. Luckily I have a disconnect on it, so I was able to turn it off before they got the power back on, so that I could get to it later.

I got a lot more cut today. I'm probably halfway done with the clearing around the house, but taking care of limbs on the fences around the meadow and pastures will take awhile.

We had an ice storm that left us without power 13 years ago, so many people around here have backup generators. I am thinking about buying a welder/generator to try to be prepared for the next time.

I love living in the boonies, but there is sometimes an unexpected price for the peace, quiet and nature that we normally enjoy.