I woke up at 6:30 yesterday morning in the cold and dark. A freak ice storm in the early morning hours knocked out power to most of Worcester County and southern New Hampshire and even to parts of Connecticut and Maine. Debris from falling tree limbs blocked many of the roads, so I didn’t attempt to drive to work, even though homes and businesses in the Pioneer Valley were not affected by the electrical outage.

A large tree had fallen across the three vehicles parked in our driveway (my Honda is just visible to the left of my landlady’s truck):

Throughout the morning, we continued to hear trees branches snap and fall, the sound as loud as an explosion. In the early afternoon, I went out for a walk. Downed power lines were draped across Grove Street, so I stepped over them on my way back home:

Fortunately, we heat our water with natural gas, and my apartment has a gas stove, so I had heat in the kitchen and could make coffee and cook up leftovers. The day was cloudy, though, and indoors it was difficult to see clearly.  As it got darker in the late afternoon, I lit candles and turned on a flashlight.  In this dim and flickering light, I could barely see even to read, so after I ate supper, I took a hot shower, bundled up in my flannel nightgown, and went to bed at 7 pm.

I woke this morning to brilliant sunshine, and while the storm damage was all the more visible, I felt a lot more cheerful. I was out and about during the day and returned home expecting another early night, but as I cleaned up the kitchen after the evening meal, I heard the refrigerator start humming, and yes, the power was back. We had been off the grid for about 42 hours.