Ice isn't nice

If you haven't heard, there was a huge ice storm in the Midwest. My parents live in that area hit and saw a bunch of the storm. They are fine, but they are without power and may not get it until the end of the month. If you want to see why, there are some striking pictures of south-central Nebraska available here that show the damage. They are currently living in a hotel room about an hour away from their home as that was the closest they could find that actually has electricity.

They had power temporarily around Christmas, when we were all visiting. I guess it could be one of those "Power of Christmas" specials on cable TV, except for the fact that the days without power afterward would probably damper those feel-good moments.