Sunday, January 23, 2011

the best kept secret



Who would have thought a wood stove could be such a big part of my life?  It's kind of like having a baby.  You have to feed it, nurture it, clean it, tidy up after it's mess.  If I'm not actually attending to it then I find myself still thinking about it, at least.  When was the last time I put a log in?  Is it getting cold in here?  Should I put my boots on now and get all bundled up to make the trek outside for more wood, or later?

Don't get me wrong...I actually do love it :)  I'm just surprised, that's all, that it could be so...involved.  Giving it all that attention does have it's perks for us.  It's a great place to scrunch up next to with a book and a fresh cup of coffee.  The cats have yet another place to sleep.  We get to spend next to nothing on our heating bill.  All great things!

I've discovered that people who own wood stoves are like their own secret society.  You can never really be inducted until you own one of your own but then, and only then, do you get the best kept secrets about how to use it properly and to the best advantage.  Since we've had ours, we find that people love their wood stoves and talking about them too.   Hmmm...prime example right here, right now :)

8 comments:

  1. We just got a wood stove last month and it is just like having another pet. The thing is so much fun to have around, but needs supervision, cleaning and feeding. We love it so much. :)

    What really becomes an hour-long conversation with fellow wood-stovers is...where to get the best seasoned hardwood.

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  2. ah yes, the "seasoned wood." it is a life long commitment to find and then when you finally do get it...you have to split it every time:( just kidding...howie doesn't mind doing it and i don't mind being his servant while he does...bringing him fresh coffee and such :) i have been practicing with the axe though and i can now say...i can't split 1/4 of a log on one blow! yeay me! lol.

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  3. i meant...i CAN split a 1/4 of a log. haha. i do admit though, that i cannot split the whole thing at once :) but i'm getting better. do you guys have to chop yours too??

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  4. Hi Jenna! Thanks for visiting the blog! Actually, just after the photo of my son (also almost two) was taken, he had a huge meltdown because of the cold. The next day, however, he played for FOURTY FIVE minutes with the ice. That's how I managed to get the rest of the photos on that entry!

    I love the idea of a wood burning stove, but I've never had one. We are renting here in the south for the time being, and my house up north just has traditional fireplaces, which are also quite cosy. My grandparents had one, however, and every time I see one it brings me back to our annual visits across the country to their house.

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  5. Thank you for the comments! I love your blog :) I am so jealous of the wood burning stove- it must bake like a dream.

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  6. rory d, before we put our wood stove in we loved our home-made open fires too! we used to have a fire almost every night and that was my favorite place to sit. it wasn't as efficient as the wood stove, but from my perch one foot away i was plenty warm enough.

    i'll be back to visit your blog :)

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  7. keia, it does and i always smell like a campfire now, lol. everywhere i go, people say "mmm, you smell good, were you just at a bonfire?" and i think...oh, boy. this cannot be a good smell all the time :)

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  8. keia, it does and i always smell like a campfire now. everywhere i go people say "mmm, you smell good, have you been at a bonfire?" i think, oh brother. this can't be good to smell like all the time if passers by are getting whiffs from 4 feet away :)

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any thoughts?? thanks for stopping by :)