Horray for electricity! I stopped by the house Thursday afternoon and was thrilled to discover the power had come back on. Fortunately, the pipes didn't burst and the sump pump kicked on to drain the basement. I had to throw away a lot of food, but I'd rather waste the food/money than have us get food poisoning... Despite the hassle, the ice was really beautiful. I took a couple of pictures, but they just don't do it justice. Each tree branch was coated in ice, which looked cool up close but was even more amazing when you looked at many trees together - so white! The power lines look cool, too.

These trees are in our backyard:

Here's the view from our 2nd story deck, looking out at the ridge at the end of the street. Click on the pic to get a bigger and more detailed view.

Our over-the-range microwave didn't make it through the storm. It got fried and never came back on. I never realized how much I rely on that thing until I didn't have it anymore. Not really what I wanted to spend money on this week, but I can't live without it. Especially not with family coming for Christmas....