When working outside in an ice storm you can feel the ice pitting itself against your skin. Tiny little sharp pellets. No blood is drawn of course. Though no self respecting animal would be caught out in it, just the mad dogs and New Zealand woman.
I walk with a gloved hand up as though to shield myself from the sun but it is the blowing ice in my face I am trying to avoid (we have not seen sun in days) so I hunch into my farmers jacket shoulders, slightly turned shoulder to the wind – to present less of a target.
The ice storm raged for hours. The big trees (the poor old Dutch Elms that are rotting from the inside out due to their fatal fungal disease) lost many limbs. The ice gathered around the branches until they were so heavy that when a good gust of wind hit them they were sent sheeting to the ground. They are sharp, like chandelier glass and carve their names into the big branches and bushes as they smash through the garden. The noise as the branches fall is incredible like an avalanche of broken glass. I ducked my head and ran when I heard that sound of breaking glass above me. But the trees are between me and my barn so it is pretty hard to avoid these trees. One just has to hope for the best.
The high winds and rain and sleeting ice kept up the pressure for almost the whole day. I have no idea how many inches of icy rain we received but we are now way beyond soggy. The fields are lakes. The power went out and because we had to keep the sump pump working in the basement, which was flooding, we had to drag the generator through the muck and out to the Rat House and plug it into the Three Phase power thingy out there. The power was not out for long, about eight hours but noise of that generator was pressure all by itself.
Luckily no cows are allowed on the pastures so all the electric fences are turned off. Doubly lucky as a tree came down at the West Barn ACROSS TWO electric fences. There are a few other trees down too in the area – sad but firewood for next year.
So yesterday the animals just slept in their warm corners. Oblivious. (Though both Tahiti and Sheila are limping). We humans gave up the fight and retreated to the comfy chairs around the fire.
Last night was wild. We will look for any more damage when the sun comes up today.
I hear many of you had similar weather?
Let’s hope today is a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
78 responses to “Exfoliating with ice”
Oh, how I remember the ice storms in Ohio. I certainly feel for you and all the clean up you have. We have only had big winds this week, that broke a large branch out of a tree on our boundary, but which belongs to the neighbour. These Eucalyptus trees are ‘widow makers’ with the branches they drop! Best of luck to you.
Ha ha – don’t drag the poor Mad Dogs out into the ice storm 😉
Ha ha ha !! So says the English Man!! c
The photo of the ‘ice tree’ is excellent even though I think an ice storm sounds more dire than anything else. You are as prepared as it’s possible to be at least. For us, finally moved out to the hills of the coast the news reports of various extreme weather seem quite far away at the moment. It could just quite be perfect ‘Goldilock’s porridge’ weather. With enough rain here and there to top up the tanks. But I feel for those whose lives and homes are affected. It could happen to any of us.
I am hundreds of kilometres south of Ella, but in Goldilock’s territory also: not a cloud in the sky, winds 5-10 kms and top temp expected a very enjoyable 29 C: my main ‘problem’ to find time to water my large gardens . . . That ‘ice tree’ looks so beautiful, but don’t know I’d like the rest . . . has anyone ever written a ‘Prairies Weather Book’ ? Tornadoes in December – I thought they were a May-June phenomenon . . . and here in my undulating countryside there are always plenty of trees and hilly landscapes to break the force of inclement weather . . . am truly thinking of you . . . Looking forwards to the biggest ever Sydney Harbour New Year fireworks . . . perfect weather forecast also: twice during the night – our 9pm and midnight . . . your daytime: please come and visit!!!
We were predicted to get the freezing rain and 2-4″ of snow, instead we got about 9! Ohmygosh, it was like trying to move semi set concrete this morning. For about an hour last evening it sleeted and rained hard then turned back to snow. The snow had started late morning and with 40-50 mph winds it was right blizzardy out there. I too did the sideways, ouch ouch my face crab walk while doing chores in the afternoon.
Oh No! you had a bad day – all our snow has been taken out of the forecast.. I guess you got it! c
I’ve come to the point where I am never surprised by how many obstacles Mother Nature puts in your path….I think farming on the prairies is only suited to pioneer Kiwis and their ilk. Full of admiration. I only came near to experiencing an ice storm once, when we went to New York for New Year’s Eve some 30 years ago. Jenny had taken her fur coat to wear as she thought it would be the only opportunity to wear it. As it turned out the weather was so warm that we ate lunch in Union Square, sitting outside in T-shirts! As we flew out, the ice storm arrived and paralysed New York for a couple of days. Back to the fur coat…there’s an apocryphal story of a woman in a fur coat being accosted in the street by another woman who said “Do you know how many animals were killed to make that coat?” to which the lady replied ” Probably a lot less animals than I had to fuck to get it” …….best wishes for the New Year and hope the weather is a bit more clement:)
Oh dear .. I can’t imagine being in an ice storm! I do hope the weather gets better Celi
Ice storms are very scary – especially at night when you can hear all the snapping. Despite the worry and clean up once you can get out, the ice sleeves on wire, branches, – ice coats on everything -those are a bit beautiful to examine.
Hope the sun comes out. Sun helps everything.