Firewood chat

The biggest chore that I have planned for today is restocking the firewood. Seth has cut, split and stacked a bunch of wood...... maybe 6 ricks..... out behind the garden shed along the pasture fence. Still have 3-4 ricks of the seasoned oak left from last year. We are burning that first. Normally, we keep a big pile in the garage and a smaller bunch in the garden shed along with kindling. This is to make sure that we don't end up in a snow/rain storm and have only wet wood to burn. I try to keep the wood ring on the porch full and several logs ready to burn on the hearth.

After 5 inches or so of rain, I am happy to say that my firewood is pretty darn wet. We have nearly used all of the garage stash, somehow we haven't gotten any in the garden shed yet and the wood ring on the porch is soaked. It was 31 degrees this morning and the fire sure felt good after I got it going.

Since the sun is out and there is a good breeze, I am going to wait until later in the afternoon before I begin cracking the whip over my galley slaves...... I mean--- my boys. The wood will dry out in the sheds but I am thinking that it will do it faster outside.

I am all about saving money these days. Pinching the pennies pretty tightly and really working on the budget. So far, we have only had the furnace kick on twice. That was the weekend that Salena came home with  her friends. I just didn't want to embarass her too much by giving her guests frost bite!

Since Seth is my main wood chopper, he is rather frugal with his fires. When Adam complains about being cold, Seth bellows at him, " PUT ON MORE CLOTHES!"

I've been cooking up a storm for the last fews days..... I have been feeling strangely,too. I was at a meeting this past Sunday for trappers. They invited the 4-H kids for some demonastrations. A couple of those guys have tick borne illness' and arthritis from tick diseases. They were chatting about their ailments and I began to realize that I may not yet be over my bout from a year ago. Started back on the antibiotics and I am feeling much better. It is such a gradual decline that I just didn't realize that I was getting sick again. I am begining to think that is part of the reason that I have had the "Blahs" recently.