Winter Storm Aviso

Yesterday was a fairly nice day. I filled all the bird feeders and enjoyed a brief fire in the chimenea. My bird friends are glad I filled those feeders yesterday. The rain began last night and it was freezing by the time I left for work this morning. I got to the University just in time for the announcement it was closing and classes were cancelled. I finalized my travel authorization that I had been postponing and then came on back home.
Although not much accumulation is expected, the ice on tree branches coupled with the predicted high winds is expected to cause power outages due to breaks. Even as I sit here, I continue to hear limbs falling in my front yard.
I had just opened the curtains to look out when this large branch crashed right before my eyes. All the saplings are bent double to the ground and we have lost numerous limbs already.
This tree is normally quite tall, but the weight already has it bent to about half its normal height. I have been contemplating cutting it down as it is really in an inopportune location, and chance are, I will have to anyway.

I moved my car from its usual parking place. There is a tall pine on the hill near our parking areas, which has already lost a couple of limbs in the past year. It is not on our property, but I eye it warily during wind and storms. Depending on how it might fall--if it falls--it could take out our power line from the pole to the house, our fence, or my car. I can't move the power lines or fence, but I did park my car as far from it as possible to at least minimize that risk.

It is supposed to continue throughout the night and tomorrow morning before warming up to enough to melt it. Based on what I have seen so far of falling limbs, we will definitely be in for some more.