We Appreciate Simple Pleasures in Hard Times

It's 18 degrees outside and the wind is picking up, so the chill factor is probably 8 degrees. The weather in Floyd today is brisk.

Fortunately, we decided a long time ago that we would install one of those new-fangled wood burning stoves with an outside air feed. Our medium-sized wood stove keeps our 1650 sq ft house comfortably warm with no other heat sources except for tiny bathroom heaters in the remote ends of the house.

Our 3 1/2 acre property supplies enough oak firewood that we do not expect to need any other fuel source  for the next four years. Our winter fuel costs include chainsaw parts, gasoline, and bar oil but not much more.

I expect the next few years will be much colder than this one, so I am looking at ways to store more firewood and to make the cutting and splitting as easy as possible.

Wood stoves have their downsides, like ashes to empty and wood chips on the floor, but when they are properly set up with blowers and ceiling fans to spread the heat, the result can be as picture perfect as this. See more of my wood stove posts here and here.

We are not so focused on the simple life as you might expect. We are just trying to live in the most economical way possible and still lead a modern lifestyle. Just out of camera range there are three computers and a printer busily at work while several cats like this one dream of warmth and sunshine.

Hope you are all safe and warm this day. We are working to get as much done as possible before the next power outage hits.