Halloween Morning At Peaceful Forest Homestead
Usually October is much colder and more wet than it has been this year. So we have been pretty lucky so far. Today though, it was colder and we have been having sunshine, sleet and rain with the cooler temps all day. This is the time of the year when we are forced to use our generator more for the charging of our batteries for our solar energy system. New York state is not known for having lots of sunshine, and it has always lived up to that expectation!
Transporting kindling from the forest with my Neuton electric garden cart.
I take my garden cart out into the forest and along the side of the road looking for pieces of wood that will fit into my wood cook stove, or to use for kindling in either wood stove. Our wood heating stove in the living room is a monster. It will hold four large canners on it's top and still have room for other pans. So the size of the wood, and the amount of wood it takes, is big and a large amount. But it keeps you so cozy and warm all winter no matter what the temperature is outside. It heats up almost immediately after the fire is started. There is no waiting to get warm.
Kindling can be any size and any kind, should be dry and dead wood.
We have used all kinds of wood for cooking and heating. You will find other people will tell you that you that you cannot use this or that. But what it all comes down to, is.........that if you are cold and need a fire, and the wood burns, it will keep you warm. That is the bottom line.
Kindling is something you need to start your fires.
The first year we moved here in 1999, we did not have a pile of firewood to use. We had to get to work on cutting what we had here. Since we were planning on clearing our land, we did that almost immediately. I would gather all the downed wood I could find. It is amazing when you think there is no more wood to find, and then you find a huge amount that you must have missed.
Kindling starts a good fire in the cook stove. Hot!
When you build a fire, if you are not familiar with the process, I wrote a previous post about it. It is called Building The Fire In Your Wood Cooking Range. In that post, I explain exactly how to build the fire in your wood cook stove, though it will work for a wood heating stove also. Even if you don't use one, it is a good thing to know in case you ever have to do it. You need to prepare, no matter where you are, or what lifestyle you are living. Bad economic times as we are living in right now, can lead to other things that everybody needs to prepare for.
Copyright © 2010 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2010 Kathleen G. Lupole
4 comments:
I wonder how many people know how to build a fire. I know, in general, but I have never had to build one. Start small (tinder, kindling), build up to large, and leave air spaces.
Love the entry and now I'm going to go read about starting a fire!
Sonya
Thanks for the comment on blogfrog about studying internet marketing everyday and still not knowing it all! That's a relief. We lived in Ethiopia for three years and I had a woodstove - even made bread in it! But I usually didn't build the fire - my husband did. It felt really good on chilly mornings too - and we boiled all our drinking water on top of it too. Memories. Blessings, Amy
Hi Katlupe - thanks for stopping by The Roaring Decade and sharing your beautiful story about your dog! I am loving you and your husband's philosophy on living. As I start to plan for my future with my partner, I think living stress-free and simply is something I need to make sure happens! AND - I was so excited to see your stove - I have cooked on one exactly like that and it was such an authentic experience!
Keep up the blogging I will be stopping by again!
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