Heating with wood burners/fire places only?

[Hilary Jones]

We use a wood stove for our heat. It really does a great job. Love the feel of wood heat so much more than electric. And cheaper...

 

[rhoda_bruce]

In 2 days it will be 30 years I am married and we used a boxwood stove from the very beginning and now use a potbelly. We only cut down one single tree in all those years and it was the first. Looking back, it saddens me to have taken down that tree and I can only say we did it from youth and ignorance and should have been better advised. Furthermore, judging from the location it came from, I now realize we shouldn't even been there to begin with.
We have plenty of wood to harvest from, just with what all Mother Nature drops down for us after every storm.
We do sometimes get invited to a tree that has to come down regardless because of it being a nuisance tree, which I am fine with because it was going to come down regardless, but we are very selective, so I think we have been very kind to nature, for the most part.
We normally have a very mild winter regardless, with only a hard freeze occurring once every 7 years or so and sometimes we might just get through a winter with a large branch of a giant oak or pecan that happened to crack or fall in a friend's yard.
But it does give me a huge sense of satisfaction to see my utility bills and know they are within reason, because we were able to keep comfy with just our potbelly.

 

[Beekissed]

Any way you can install a wood stove setup there?

 

[sumi]

There used to be a stove in here and there is a chimney and everything, but they went and stuffed an electric "fire" into that space. I prefer the real thing…

 

[sumi]

Beekissed, that sounds sooooo good right now.

rhoda-bruce, I've already offloaded as much as I could. I'm determined to get us sorted and more organised as soon as the surgery is out of the way and I'm physically able again. The diagnosis, first surgery in December and everything else that went along with that caught me out badly. Things happened so fast, I didn't have time to think before I was under the knife and then I had to find another house to move to almost immediately when the owner of the one I was in, needed it back unexpectedly. This was an emergency landing spot where I could catch my breath and recover just about...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Prayers for warmth and healing for you!

 

[Beekissed]

So... You LIKE doing firewood?? I have never met anyone who likes doing firewood. I loathe it, we don't use wood now but I did as a kid and I hated nothing more than stacking wood. It is a lovely feeling to have it done though!

Hated it as a kid too. Dad always picked the worst time in the world for getting in firewood~August. The most biting insects, the most briars, the hottest weather, etc. And he always got two years worth of wood (just in case), which is admirable, but to a kid, it's just needlessly extra work. What kid naturally loves to do ANY hard work? Not many, I'd wager.

Nowadays I LOVE getting in the wood, as Mom and I can control WHEN we get it and where. Spring or fall only and we aren't crawling through briars and ticks.

I love it when God provides good wood supplies for us in easy places~like bringing down cherry trees right here in the yard. Same with these pines. Last year He brought down a giant aspen that could have went the other way and smashed my coop but it didn't....those logs were a delight to split! Coulda made wood shingles out of that stuff it split so easily.

I love using the splitter...it's quite therapeutic to hear that groan and then CRACK! when it splits a log, especially if it splits it neatly. I love when it splits the logs neatly like that...easier to stack. I love driving by neatly stacked firewood~Mom and I are always drooling those kinds of places...the neatness and fullness of it all is like seeing fully stocked cellar shelves. Just satisfying!

I love trying to fit the split wood into a row neatly so as to wedge them tightly and compactly into that space~ the neatness of it all thrills me. I love knowing that all of that wood keeps us warm all winter long, so it's work that is worthy of doing.

When my back can take it, I even love using the chainsaw...another satisfying feeling, to cut through the wood so easily to get firewood. Imagine if we had to use saws and axes like they used to do!? We'd have to work all year round to get our wood like that.

Yep...I LOVE fall firewood time. All work is more fun to do when you WANT to do it instead of when you HAVE to do it.

 

[baymule]

Sorry about your back giving out on you, that hurts. What a blessing your son was there to pick up the slack for you. Children are a blessing.

 

[sumi]

I hope your back is getting better and will allow you to do what you'd like to do soon. In the meantime it's wonderful that you have your son around to help you!

I love doing firewood. And just for the record, I own neither a chain saw or a log splitter!

 

[NH Homesteader]

I don't know about you two... Lol!! I will never enjoy doing firewood, no way!