I was lying in bed early this morning listening to Minnesota Public Radio and they reminded me of the anniversary of the horrendous ice storm of 2006 along the Southwest Minnesota and Northeast South Dakota border.

I remember it began with rain that morning, changing to freezing rain which froze to any surface it touched, eventually in heavy proportions.  Power lines sagged with the weight of the ice and outages quickly ceasing any activity requiring electricity.  Some were out of power for up to two weeks.

While this power outage was inconvenient, it did force us to go without electronic devices and interact with family on a deeper level. Playing cards, board games, talking, etc. were activities often engaged in when there was no electricity.  Neighbors helped neighbors by opening their homes to those still without power and helping in whatever capacity was needed. Creative thinking was put into force as we tried to come up with Innovative ways to prepare meals and feed the family.

I captured this image near our home as the last rays of light danced across the ice on its branches. This tree is now reduced to a pile of wood as it was demolished last summer.