In case some of you have wondered, I've decamped to Bartlesville because I am one of the 25% of OG&E customers without power as of Thursday night, when it had already been more than 24 hours with no heat in freezing weather. OG&E's aerial inspection showed more than sixty miles of the high-voltage power lines (the ones used to deliver power from the generators to the distribution points) on the ground as of Thursday afternoon.

Some power lines fell under the weight of several inches of ice from the freezing thunderstorm that lasted nearly 24 hours starting Tuesday night; some fell because they were hit by tree limbs that cracked under the weight of the ice, and some fell because their poles splintered and collapsed under the weight. I've even seen some poles that look like parentheses, and that can't be good.

We have people tending the property, of course, but I'm more worried about my parents. They're out looking for a generator because, according to Cimarron [rural] Electric Cooperative, they will be without power for at least 8-11 days, and possibly for five to six weeks. This seriously crimps my Super Bowl plans.