Winter in North Mississippi can feel deceptive. One day it’s warm enough to open the windows, the next it drops into the 20s. The swings are fast , and the cold carries weight—bone-chilling from the humidity, settling in deeper than expected. Coming from Colorado, there was a certain confidence about cold weather—layers, gloves, business as usual. That confidence didn’t last long. An inch of ice turned out to be far more than expected. Trees froze solid, every limb coated in glass. When the wind picked up, the woods came alive with sound—sharp cracks, deep booms, and long echoes that carried through the night. Exploding trees are very real , and they make for anything but a quiet evening. On 40 wooded acres, it felt like the land itself was shifting. Power went out that first night. Thankfully, there was a generator for the food trailer that could be “plugged up,” as folks here say , keeping a few essentials running in the house. Everyone gathered into one place, generators humm...