Blog Memories: An Ice Storm Covers My Bedford Farm
Today we're expecting the temperature to reach 50-degrees Fahrenheit - very mild for this time of year. Northeast winters can be quite erratic. This encore blog was originally posted in December 2019, shortly after an ice storm covered the farm.
Today is expected to be clear and sunny, but bitterly cold here at my Bedford, New York farm with highs only in the mid-20s.
I hope you’ve seen my Instagram posts @MarthaStewart48 - we’ve had quite a stormy week. Yesterday, I posted a video taken from a window at our New York City headquarters during a brief snow squall, a quick and intense burst of snow accompanied by strong, gusty winds - it covered the city with almost a half-inch of powder. Earlier in the week, we had an ice storm, characterized by freezing rain and the accumulation of at least a quarter-inch of ice on exposed surfaces. When I woke up, there was a coating of ice on everything.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I took many photos the morning after the storm. This photo was taken shortly after 7am. All the branches on the trees were covered in ice. Thankfully, we did not get too much damage.
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- Look at the ice that formed on this stone ledge – it’s about a quarter-inch thick. An ice storm is a type of winter storm also known as a glaze event or, in some parts of the United States, as a silver thaw.
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- Here, the ice covered the ground in a sheet of white.
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- This is a closer look at the ice covering these branches. Bad ice accumulations can increase the weight of tree branches up to 30-times. Fortunately, that did not happen with this storm.
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- Icicles form when ice or snow is melted by the sunlight and then refreezes as it drips. During ice storms, icicles also form when rain slightly below freezing accumulates. Over time, water runoff causes the icicles to grow. These icicles are on the overhang of my carport.
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- The ice looks like glass on top of this ‘Miss Kim’ lilac by my Winter House and apple espalier.
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- The ice has given this stone wall a very shiny new look.
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- This apple tree is also covered in ice just outside my Winter House. Look closely – there are two apples still hanging onto their branches.
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- This photo was taken with my new Google Pixel 4 – so beautiful. I love this view looking over the antique fencing and landscape to the ice-capped trees in the distance.
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- And here’s a closer look of those trees – covered in a coating of ice. This Pixel 4 takes excellent images.
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- This photo was taken from the carriage road near my stable looking up between the fenced paddocks with the roofs of my Winter House and carport in the distance.
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- On mornings after a storm, I always drive around to make sure everything is okay. I check all my animals, the buildings, the garden beds, and the trees. This is the original allee of linden trees down by the peafowl palais. Lindens have a very symmetrical conical shape, with strong central leaders. This allee looks so pretty in every season.
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- This is the netting over my chicken yard. It protects my flock from the hawks that fly overhead. When checking my chickens, I saw it completely weighed down with ice. It’s a very strong net, so it did not collapse.
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- I captured this photo from the carriage road that runs through the lower hayfield. The accumulations of ice after a storm are classified according to the impact made – nuisance, disruptive, and crippling. During a nuisance ice storm event, less than quarter-inch of ice accumulates.
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- Here is another look across the hayfield. Thankfully, the wind was not very strong.
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- And looking down, it’s hard to see the grass underneath.
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- This is a nice view up the length of the paddocks with the fence shadows on the ground.
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- This is my Copper Bird Feeder with Four Feeding Ports from my Collection at QVC. It hangs from my pergola and is filled every day for visiting birds.
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- I hang many bird feeders during this time of year. With 125 different bird varieties visiting my farm on a daily basis, it is important to keep the feeders full, especially during winter. Below is the hedge of boxwood that lines the beds. The entire hedge is now covered under a protective burlap blanket.
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- This is the back of my carport. Another series of bird feeders hangs here for all the avian visitors, and the squirrels that wait for falling seeds. Were you affected by this week’s storms? Share your comments below and go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.com for more of my photos. We’re expected to hit 25-degrees Fahrenheit today here at my farm. Stay warm.
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