We have been heating our home with wood for the past two years. I have to say I really wasn't keen on the idea in the beginning. While growing up, we had a coal stove, and I remember how much I hated it. Having to go out in the cold to shovel and carry in bucket after bucket, after bucket. I remember the nasty smell of it and the way everything would have a black film on it. It was horrible to see, which you could when you blew your nose (SORRY), the black that you were breathing in. I didn't want to know what our lungs must have looked like. BLECH! So needless to say, when Skippy suggested a wood stove, I was a little leary.Well, we've been using a wood stove for the past two years and all I can say is.......................
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!"
We have electric baseboard heaters, but I have NEVER been as warm as I have been these past two years. Our electric bill has dropped DRAMATICALLY since we put the stove in. In fact, during the past two years, it has only cost us $75.00 to heat our home. Wait, that would be $325.00, if you add in the cost of the stove itself, WHICH, we got for a song in The Valley Trader. We have only had to pay for one load of wood, since we have a wooded area on our property where Skippy and Kiddo go out and do "manly" things! lol Unfortunately though, right now Skippy's hours have prevented him from doing his "manly" work so there is a wood delivery today. I would be more than happy to go out and chop wood, but my darling Skippy Man, won't let me near the ax. Hmmm.....I wonder why that is? lol
Skippy and I are now looking for an old cast iron cook stove. You know the one with the section for wood on one side and an oven on the other? Oh, I can't wait! I can just see it now....pulling out the fresh hot loaves of bread....Mmmmmm! :> )
So tell me; do you have a wood stove? If you do, how do you like yours? And if you are thinking about a wood stove, all I can say is, "GO FOR IT!" You won't be sorry!
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Beech wood fires burn bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year
Chestnut only good they say
If for long ‘tis laid away
But ash new or ash old
Is fit for queen with crown of gold
Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last
It is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread
Elmwood burns like churchyard mold
E’en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for queen with golden crown
Poplar gives a bitter smoke
Fills your eyes and makes you choke
Apple wood will scent your room
With an incense like perfume
Oaken logs, if dry and old
Will keep away the winter’s cold
But ash wet or ash dry
A king shall warm his slippers by
Author unknown
Chestnut only good they say
If for long ‘tis laid away
But ash new or ash old
Is fit for queen with crown of gold
Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last
It is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread
Elmwood burns like churchyard mold
E’en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for queen with golden crown
Poplar gives a bitter smoke
Fills your eyes and makes you choke
Apple wood will scent your room
With an incense like perfume
Oaken logs, if dry and old
Will keep away the winter’s cold
But ash wet or ash dry
A king shall warm his slippers by
Author unknown
We do not have a wood burning stove or a fireplace. We did when I was growing up. I didn't mind it, but then my dad did most of the work with it. It did keep us warm, but I'm not sure I'd want want today. A gas fireplace would be nice though.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cathy~
ReplyDeleteI have never had a gas fireplace. My friend, Joy, has one in the wall between her kitchen and family room and she loves it. No fuss no muss! :> )
Have a great day, my friend!
Blessings~
Laura
This is so interesting, as I am about to write a post on how we heat our home, my only sadness being that we don't have a stove or open fire. The rhyme is absolutely brilliant. I can remember learning this kind of thing at Guides (Girl Scouts) but will have to copy it out.
ReplyDeleteWould you be willing to post a picture of your stove? I am clueless about this kind of thing. Where is it located?
ReplyDeleteHi. :) Yes, we heat with a woodstove, and this is our fourth winter doing so. I grew up with wood stove heat as well. My husband and I opted for this because of how cheap it is in comparison to oil, which is what we were using. We were drowning in oil bills. We now pay approx. $175 per cord, cut, split and delivered and we use about 4 cord, total. We don't have the means to go cut down our own, or we would do that. We still think it's pretty cheap! And yes, we are very warm! A lot of the time, we have a window cracked for some fresh air. It's hard at first, to get used to the dry air, but we run humidifiers. The two older kids have the nightly chore of filling the wood box!
ReplyDeleteI lived in Fairbank, Ak and it was COLD there - we heated our 1300 sq. ft. but it was 2 story. it was rough to get the hot air upstairs even though we put holes in the floor and ceilings.
ReplyDeleteWe went thru about 7 cords of wood and HAD to have them delivered. At the time when my son was born in 1981 my hubby said he had bursitis and I had to split and bring the wood in - the ONE redeeming thing was that it was below zero and that wood split really easily at the colder temp. Unfortunately we did not buy very good wood inthat if you try to get some heat out of cottonwood - it doesn't have much in the way of BTU's -
So we had spruce and birch - BIRCH was the best ... getting it seasoned was difficult.
So I would burn wood again IF I had it split and stacked for me - I would have some problems bringing it in etc. So there would be physical difficulties of running a wood stove.
I DO LOVE the heat that comes off a wood stove ... you know there's a difference between radiant heat (from a woodstove) that heats the furniture in the room and you and then there's the other heat that usually is not as comforting. Convective heat warms up the air ....
I LOVED wood heat but haven't used it in years - I would especially LOVE to have it for emergencies.
My Mom has a coal burning and trash burner at her house -
I wonder if your coal burning stove was vented properly - b'c something wasn't right there. :)
Blessings and hope you get the kitchen stove ... Did you ever watch "Good Neighbors" it was a British comedy about a couple going off the grid so to speak and they cooked on a wood kitchen stove - it was COOL! :)
Hello from Texas!
ReplyDeleteI have a fire (wood) going right now in the fireplace. We are having a real cold "snap" right now here in North Texas. So the fire has been cranked up for many days.
Enjoyed my first visit.
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteHere's the "No More Night" that's dedicated to YOU ...
http://bevinnesthots.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-more-night-david-phelps-thanks-laura.html
Oh and I've listened to it about 10 times today ... ;) I love the intro w/Joni ..
ReplyDelete