ice storm

Typically at least once every winter we get an ice storm.

What started out as a beautiful few-inches of snow on Saturday night turned into freezing rain by the wee hours of Sunday morning. It covered every surface in a glittering, crackling coat of ice, which I (of course) had to venture out into once I had fed Mary Todd (safely inside), and eaten breakfast.

It was, as expected, cold and damp out, but I had to capture the subtle spectacle of the ice show.

the ice covering the vines of this bittersweet looked like crackle glass up close

Unfortunately for us, the rain didn’t stop that morning, and it continued to pour heavily throughout the entire day.

And if you don’t live somewhere where it snows, you might not realize just how messy inches of rain mixed with inches of snow (on top of a frozen ground) is. Everything sitting on the ground was turned into a thick slushy mess, and everything — including the numerous big puddles of water — froze solid overnight.

Now for the foreseeable future (with a forecast that doesn’t get above freezing) I am left to stomp across the yard, ensuring that my heels break the shiny surface before I hit an especially slippery spot and have my feet fly out from under me (it already happened to Riley Mae once this year).

Of course, there’s no taking that precaution in a few areas of our yard, where the slick ice surfaces are too thick to crack, and it’s almost impossible to even consciously tip-toe across without losing your footing.

ice beads were strung onto these delicate grasses, and they didn’t catch my eye until they started blowing in the wind

It’s an absolute mess, and it may sound like I’m complaining, but honestly I really don’t mind. As long as the roads stay clear, I’m not really worried about the state of the yard. It’s been a real winter (and a very cold and snowy February so far — no glimpse of our beloved snowdrops yet!), and I’m happy for it.

Even if it makes venturing out to kidnap Mary Todd from the barn every night a bit of a tedious — if not downright dangerous — task.