It snowed and looked beautiful but then, within a day or so, it warmed just enough so that any falling moisture became ice. Pretty, yes, but when ice forms on everything else, especially tree branches and electrical wires, it’s bad.
The extra weight on electrical wires is too much and they break and fall. If that doesn’t do it, then the weight on the tree branches breaks them off and they fall onto the wires and brings them down.
Any which way it happens the outcome is that we lose our electricity.
Day one I spent reading, hat on and under piles of blankets. Day two I wandered into my studio. I had been in the middle of hand basting bias tubes in place. No electricity for my sewing machine? No problem. Hand work needs no power. I moved my machine aside and set up in front of the windows. With long johns, fingerless gloves and several sweaters, I could work. It was not too bad.
Until later in the day when the light started to fade and I couldn’t see.
What to do? My trusty magnetic flashlight! I attached it to my task light. That plus a little LED lantern did the trick.
It worked! I could see to finish basting the strips onto the back of the jacket. Pretty cool!
Thankfully! Later that second evening we were back on line. Whew. For me, only two days total. Compared to so many who have had it so much worse, I was very fortunate.
The sewing looks beautiful. When I was a girl, it was called a “silver thaw” though there is nothing melty about it, just every twice coated in ice. Beautiful and dangerous. (I saw most of a tree come down in the street in NW Portland.) Maybe your project is like that.
Out here on the coast it just rains and rains. Banks slide, the neighbor’s “remodel” is a mountain of mud, but my little February Gold daffodils are blooming their fool heads off.
I’m guessing Jan, that just a few degrees warmer here and we’d just be getting rain too. So much better than ice!
Your pictures of your ice storm reminded me of our 2009 storm here is western KY. We were without power for almost two weeks at my house. Some were without power for a month. So, I really feel for those that go through this; it’s cold outside and you just want to be warm:)
Wow Cheryl! 2 weeks with no power! And some without for a month! Yow, that would be tough. Here’s to the wish that it’s over and will never happen again!
Ann, affixing your magnetic flashlight to your task lamp was extremely clever! BRAVO for your ingenuity!
Thank you Sharon! Though I must add that desperation can lead to inspirations.