Over my many years of life, I have always disliked winter. I would much rather be naked and sweating than shivering wearing too many layers of clothing. It is easy for me to cool down under a shade tree than get warm when chilled. But I will admit that I enjoy the way snow and ice changes the landscape, making stark winter look magical.

Rain was predicted last night but the temperature was perfect for an unexpected ice storm. Before I went to bed, I actually enjoyed the unique sound of pine trees crackling in the slight breeze. At 3:15am I awoke to my computer battery back up occasionally beeping in alarm mode – my power had failed. I threw on another blanket and wished for the best. But once awakened, I found it hard to relax enough for sleep. Hearing tree limps cracking and falling to the ground, no doubt, added to the sense of a job needing to be done now, not later.

Recalling the last ice-storm when power was out for countless hours, and knowing that a website of mine needed to be updated in the early morning, at 3:45am, I lit four candles and turned on my computer and monitor. Racing like a demon against the clock in sudden frozen hell, I finished the changes needed, not unlike turning on and off numerous switches in an extreme complex order. The battery back up began to beep constantly, like an annoyed young man seeking attention. After rechecking my work, I looked at the national radar and saw the storm above me, with a promise of more to come – and then, after ten minutes of total time, the computer went dark and the backup unit finally fell silent.