Well the wood pile shrunk by 2′ yesterday, at least thats how it appears after the drifted snow lifted the ground around it. It was getting small anyway, we have been using a lot of wood this year. I am referring to the furnace pile which is different from the stove pile. The furnace pile is my job and my pile to worry about and the stove pile is Grandmolly’s pile.

The furnace pile is the one that appears to have shrunk yesterday and it’s the biggest one we have because the furnace, which is one of those outdoor models uses a lot of wood. This furnace heats the house, the woodshop and our hot water. It burns unsplit 4′ long and green wood is not a problem in fact I prefer it once a bed of coals is going because it lasts longer. The furnace will go for 2 days if loaded to the top and if the shop is not on and it’s not too cold out. Normally I put small loads in twice a day which seems the most efficient way to run it. The same fire is burning that we started before Thanksgiving. The neatest thing about this furnace is that you can see the smoke coming out of the chimney from the kitchen window.

There are two other homes in our valley which we can see from the house and I sometimes check their smoke stacks to see how they are doing. Kind of like a smoke message that all is well. Wood heat is part of living in Vermont and lots of people use it either entirely or in part. We have lots of wood in Vermont. It’s part of the culture and it’s often a conversational opener like ” hows the wood pile lasting, or do you have all your wood in?” The work and thought that goes with wood burning extends outside the heating season. A friend once told me that Vermont has two seasons which are winter and getting ready for winter. Anyway their is the cutting , moving, splitting and drying that accompanies the activity of building your winter season wood pile. Putting things by is a large part what we do. Like squirrels we store up our needs for winter. Their is also haying and storing garden produce and fruits which together with the wood pile keep us and our animals going throughout the winter season.

So our wood pile is important. Of course we could heat with oil and we have a furnace to do that but besides the cost we prefer wood. It smells so good too. Grandmolly’s stove (we call it that because she loves it and likes to tend it) is used in the fall and spring and during long cold snaps when we need an extra thawing out heat source. It’s also a great assist to a deep rest. My chair is opposite the stove and their is nothing like coming in with a wind chilled face , cold hands and feet and sitting the recliner soaking up the radiant heat from Grandmolly’s stove. It will knock you out in a few minutes.

Anyway back to the wood pile. Up to now I was confident we would make it through with the wood in the pile and wood shed but this cold spell has been a long one and is still hanging on and the pile is getting low. Backup was supposed to be the wood which is cut in the wood lot but it’s sort of out of reach now until the snow melts back and becomes accessible with the tractor. But it’s the middle of February and the sun is up longer each day and is a little warmer even if the cold air would lead you to believe otherwise.

And their is Grandmolly’s stove to fall back on.