Wednesday, November 3, 2010

How Much Wood ...

After a few weeks of starting a fire in the woodstove and letting it go out, I started a fire Friday that is still going, using up wood like a bandit, but keeping the place toasty warm.  Two years ago when I was doing this for the first time, I had NO idea how to start a fire and keep it going and the fire went out constantly.  I would restart it every evening (several times!) and just shiver through the cold mornings.  I feel like an old timer now, but really I am/was just beginning to learn the ins and outs of when to use different types of wood.

My new house doesn't have a woodstove.  It's got a few fireplaces (2, plus a double-sided one in the basement!), but they're not intended to be used for heat.  Earlier this week I brought a load of wood in from the woodshed and realized that soon I won't have to haul wood any more.  Managing wood and the stove was a really time-consuming aspect of learning to homestead, on top of all the other time-consuming and hard aspects (don't get me started).  I enjoy(ed) having a fire going, but I'm really going to enjoy not having to do that any more.  The new house closes at the end of the month, so this is my last month here.  Ideally, the 'stead will sell quickly, but realistically, it may be spring before someone else calls it home.  I can't have it both ways (buy low AND sell high), so I'm settling in for a long haul on selling this house (and contemplating not making any money on it, despite all the work I did).

There's one more looong night of firefighter training this week, all weekend and one night next week before this class is *finally* over.  I'll find out tonight if my new neighborhood has a volunteer fire department, and if they need people.

On another note - I don't know how long I'm going to continue this blog after I move (sorry Melanie from MN!).  The aspects of discovery and learning about homesteading that were so constant here won't be relevant there, and I have lost interest in posting any more details about my personal life or living my life as publicly as I have been.  I considered starting another blog, but I'm currently thinking that I don't want to do that.  I'll leave this blog open, since there's likely some homestead-y things left in my creaky bones (and several totes of raw fiber to be spun and knitted!), but I've noticed that the desire to post frequently has left the building.  We'll just have to see how it goes!

[Edit:  Hm.  I didn't intend to convey that I'm going to stop blogging immediately, although several commenters got that impression.  I haven't decided anything, but I don't have an urge like I did before is all I meant to say. I want to leave it open in case I have a burning need to tell you all about some really important thing like an article in WSJ, or my dog doing a cute thing, etc, etc. 

It bothers me when people misread or misinterpret my stuff because I feel that the error was mine in not clearly expressing myself.  This highlights what I'm struggling with - how difficult it is to accurately get across thoughts and feelings to people I don't know.  There are two ways to fix that (actually three): 1) try harder to be clear, 2) don't care if I'm misread, and 3) don't write things that can be misread.  I'm currently leaning toward the third option.  It may be a phase, ... or it may not.]

8 comments:

  1. Really sorry to hear you've decided to stop blogging, but respect your decision to do so. You'll be missed.

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  2. Sorry to hear you are going to stop blogging. Good luck in your new adventures!

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  3. Yes, we'll see how it goes. You are a good writer, and maybe you can strike a balance between the personal and the stuff that makes for good reading for people who follow.

    I'm pleased as punch you like the book. It has calmed me the heck down and I'm grateful for that.

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  4. "people who follow your blog", that is.

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  5. Hm. I didn't intend to convey that I'm going to stop blogging immediately. Sorry if I was unclear - I edited the post to better clarify.

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  6. People move (on...) I stay...

    Tis but the way of the world sometimes.

    At least this time I wont have someone's horse "given" to me..(or chickens/goats/dog/cat/fish/old truck/chipped dishes... lol, or a truck to help load... or an empty house to clean for the Realtor who is coming..
    no crying over a last cuppa joe...

    I hope you blog about things that you find interesting enough to share..
    I hope the road rises to meet your feet and the wind at your back and all that...
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your adventures and will be right here .. wishing you all the best.
    Melanie
    in MN

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  7. have enjoyed reading your blog, and this might not come out right, but have enjoyed the truth you share...yeah, the chickens on the porch, the shed door won't open and the rood is falling in..there's a dead truck in my way...you know, not just that everything is rosy writing, but the things went wrong today stuff too. It helps us to feel that it's normal to get tripped up...
    Keep us posted and another thanks for sending us to a great yarn shop in Albany area last March!! My friends and I are eternally grateful!!

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  8. Jordan, I know what you mean about "hauling wood" and that now you will have more time to do what you want. We had a fireplace insert that we used for about 2 years and besides all the tracking in of "wood stuff", two of our kids had trouble with asthmatic type conditions while we heated that way. My DH used to say that the stove heated him three times: once when he cut the tree down, once when he split it, and once when it was burning. You doing all this yourself is mind boggling. Can't wait until you move and start enjoying family, friends, and life in general. Heck, it's not like you are giving up on life, just living it differently. Good luck and God speed.

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