Early last summer, Tim proudly showed off our woodpile. For the first time since he built the covered structure, he'd stuffed it full. We were more than ready for winter.
I'd clicked some pictures of his labor.
Pieces of logs seasoned alongside the house for next year.
Last evening, the covered wood looked like this.
And here's where Tim has taken from this next winter's wood to chop those few chunks you saw above.
We burned it all. We're still burning on mornings such as this when the house shivers, because outside it's 28 degrees F.
Thankful for the wood we had, the man who could prepare it, and the efficient stove to burn it in, we try not to wonder what we'll do next. And summer, hey, you can't arrive too soon.
10 comments:
The nights and mornings have been cold this week! So surprising.
Tim's a good man to cut and chop like he does. If I remember correctly it's one of his favorite things to do, just as it's Tom's.
We're looking forward to our wood stove which hopefully will be part of our heating supply next winter. The wood pile is huge and growing in anticipation. Knowing Tom, it will grow even more this summer.
A fun post, Deanna. Stay warm! (I'll go turn up my thermostat.....:)
Deanna,
Our wood is gone. Thanks for letting me know where some wood is...
Cherie, I'm glad Tom likes to wail the ol' ax as Tim does. And you don't have that stove quite yet, huh?
(Nan, I'll bring the truck, you bring gloves, meet you at Cherie's tomorrow night.) ;o)
Nope. The stove is part of Phase Two. Once the addition is done we can move into it. After moving in, the two rooms that will then be empty in the original house will be combined and made into a family room. THAT is where the stove will go. We are now just finishing up Phase One - and it's been a doozy!
Apparently Tim's estimate on how much wood you'll use up in the winter is pretty accurate. How does he do that? I don't have the ability to use wood. Not yet anyway, I hope sometime soon we can do something to offset the fuel. We have propane heat, which is, at the moment, better priced than oil. Next season should be a wonder.
What a doozy, Cherie, and I know both phases will get finished (hope that'll be all for your sake). And, y'know, Nan and wouldn't really steal your wood. Beg for some, maybe...
Sandy, Tim has gotten good after, let's see, 17 years now of attempting to use wood heat instead of running the furnace - I don't know how we'd afford that electric bill if we did. We've run out a few winters, but usually someone has needed to have wood hauled away, and folks know to ask Tim if he'll come out with his trusty chainsaw to get it. One year part of a church got torn down, and we all worked on bringing the lumber home. Then Tim would always comment to people that we like to burn churches.
In Launceston where I live, because we live in a valley with an inversion air thingy happening, the smoke just sits over the houses and we have the highest rate of lung disease in Australia. So they paid everyone $500 to remove their wood heater and replace it with heat pumps (reverse air conditioners)... of course not everyone did it, but there are now a lots less fire places and a lot less smoke in winter. Still, if you are seen with a smoky chimney, people can report you and you will get warned and then fined. But nothing beats sitting by a nice, warm fire... electric heating just doesn't feel the same. Oh, all right, the summer sun beats it! Hope summer comes to you soon. :)
Cecily, we do get air inversions here at times, and so we check a wood-burn advisory to make sure it's okay to use the woodstove. If someone paid us to get a heat pump we might...It sounds like your area needed to be free of smoke, so I'm glad it's better now. Hoping that pulp mill doesn't happen...
I'm just looking forward to not wearing so many layers all the time... our winter WON'T LET GO!
*sigh*
I enjoyed the pics because I remember so well my Oregon days and the coziness of the wood stove at my parents' house. I think my dad kind of enjoyed the wood-chopping thing too. Must be a guy thing.
Pam, may your thermometer give you an above-freezing reading soon!
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