Tiffany in Florida

[Judy K]

Boiling water in the birdbath , too funny. A birdy hot tub.

I remember being young and invincible. Driving in conditions that should have killed me, so I will just pray for all you travelers and be glad that cars are so much warmer and more reliable than they were 30 years ago. Travel warm and safe all!

Well after my ,"stay off the roads" comment my son called and his car died in town. We drove up to Fairbanks on the icy roads at -41, -46 at the mid point, to give him warm clothes to walk the 1.7 miles to work.

I had not been on the highway since our big ice storm a few weeks ago. Holy Crap what a mess! The road surface was very safe to drive now, if you are used to this stuff, but the trees. Oh my gosh, the poor trees.

I wish I had taken a camera. In 28 years I have never seen such destruction. In 1992 we had a 3 foot weird snow dump on the trees with leaves still on. It was bad. It bent many birch and poplars all winter, and they grew rounded from then on. But this is far worse!

For 50 miles in the hills the trees are bent and broken with and inch or more of ice on them. The forest is just bent over. Even some spruce trees were topped off.

Since I moved here I have seen the tree line move up in elevation by 500 feet. The tundra is becoming forest with the warmer temps. I have seen pictures from 100 years ago that show this whole area as open tundra. In the last 10 years the brush has gone crazy too. Old trails have been completely taken over.

We knew the forest was at optimum burn condition. Too much undergrowth. With any luck this ice storm will relieve some of that fire burden by knocking it all down to rot. But that means we need rain next summer.

After the snow bent trees in '92, people built a lot of bent wood gazebos and stuff. It was fun for weddings. Most of the good stuff has been used up by now. I wonder what will be available next year after this Ice storm has damaged so much forest. Mother Nature is so dynamic. Never a dull moment! It really look amazing in the dark on the way home when the oncoming lights shown on the icy branches.

Stay safe Rebecca. Ice Storms are terrible. I hope your weather warms soon to melt it off.

Stay safe all you drivers, ... and take a camera. It is dangerous out there, but it is also so interesting. :)

[ct4mom]

That happened here a few yrs ago. A freak snow storm in early Oct. destroyed many trees. We got stranded at a friends home and when the driving ban lifted went home and it seemed like we were driving through a war zone. The leaves still on the trees and most were split in half. Many, many had to be cut down.

[Judy K]

Well after my ,"stay off the roads" comment my son called and his car died in town. We drove up to Fairbanks on the icy roads at -41, -46 at the mid point, to give him warm clothes to walk the 1.7 miles to work.

I finally got a hold of my son today to see how his first frosty walk went. He has only been living in town for 6 weeks. Town is 2 hours from home. When he did not answer his phone I was mildly concerned because he works midnight to 8am.

Yippy! Doing the happy dance!!!!!!!! My son did not answer his phone because he went to the new TRON movie in HD in the theater . He went with 5 guys from work. Yippy!!!!!! He walked and had no problem. Laundry is the only issue and he said another guy needs to find the laundry matt too. I told him of a good close one that I used to use for showers and laundry when I lived in my van. It is right on the corner on the way to the university. All the kids that live in cheep dry cabins and go to school use it. So I am sure it is still in good shape. He will also meet other kids that way.

Oh, I am so Happy. My boy is going to build his life from ground up and love it!!!!!!!!!!!! I am proud! His car died, his computer died last month, and his phone is sputtering. But By Summer he will have replaced all of these on his own and he will never forget this tough winter. I am happy for him.

It's not going to a glass show in Florida, but it is still good . Ok, we got a little off topic. :)