Ode to the Wood Stove

A few weeks ago Rory was gone for five nights in Colorado and I ran the farm while he was away. The crazy twist was that the furnace had gone out the week before he left. So while he was gone I kept a fire roaring in the woodstove the whole time. I never had to light a new fire! When the baby woke in the night, I fed the baby and the fire. And on and on the week went by. I kept all children, animals and the fire alive. It left me feeling like quite the Caroline Ingalls.

Our furnace has been out since November 3rd. But on Thursday a new one is coming! What is remarkable is that it hasn’t mattered a bit. We have been splitting wood since August, and still have three cords ready to burn and so much ready to split from the storm last September.

I actually love it. If you’ve ever been in a cabin or home with a fireplace, you know that everyone naturally congregates in front of the fire. It’s so cozy. (And in full disclosure, I did stage the picture above, complete with cookies as bribes, but I love this picture and it is not uncommon to find a few kids at a time in this exact place…)

These two have been working so hard at splitting the wood needed to keep the fire going! Every day they go out and get as much chopped as they can in 30 minutes. Then they fill the woodbox inside. (And Rory and I definitely do our fair share!!)

This picture below was taken right at the beginning of our chopping season. I remember they were so hot and sweaty so I rewarded everyone with cold apple cider. The next week they were bundled and cold so I rewarded everyone with hot apple cider.

It definitely is a lot of work. But all of us agree that the reward is so worth it!

So Friday we will have a furnace running and that will be handy and nice. But it is pretty cool to know that we can stay warm with just the wood stove. And it leaves me glad we live in a day when we can choose to do a little of both!