We are ready to heat our home and dry our laundry. It’s a good feeling to have a full woodshed. Yes, we have a propane furnace and cutting, splitting, hauling and stacking wood takes time and work, but wood heat feels so good. Once the stove is stoked and loaded in the morning, the inside temperature can reach the upper 80s. Then we open a couple of windows to let some heat out and some fresh air and bird chatter in. I call it “letting the outside in”.

As for drying the laundry, years ago Don built two drying racks to hang laundry on. These racks are in the same area as the stove. Yes, we have a clothes dryer but have hardly used it over the past 30 years. Now I’m wondering how much money we have saved on our electric bill. Hmmm.

We are mindful of the trees we drop in an effort to maintain good wood lot management, whether that means promoting future growth or managing erosion. Our wooded areas are just as important as our pastureland being grazed.