Thanks to the tornado, I now have wood. Boy, do I ever have wood. And more to come. Wood to burn and on the side, wood to build.
Here is my nascent woodpile. This is about 1.5 cord. I estimate I need about 4 times this -- at a minimum -- to heat the house this winter. You can see the beginnings of my splitting efforts piled on the left. I have learned the splitting wood with a 16 lb. triangular splitting maul is about as much fun as I have ever had.
Note that the maul came to us for free when my wife picked it up from someone's trash on a whim -- 2 years ago. Had no use for it then. Now? Best thing ever!
As a result of the work on my house's sill and new deck I had some spare 2X6's laying around. This is going to form the base of my new woodshed. I figure it will hold about 4 cord.
For the last 3 months, with fuel prices as they have been, we have been considering buying a woodstove. But with what? Not a lot of spare cash floating around. Then it struck me. Wait! We already have a wood stove. It's right next to the oil furnace. It was enclosed by a previous owner who also didn't use it, and I had forgotten about it. I'll need to tear out the wall that they put in when the "finished" the basement, but it's all hooked up to a seperate chimney flue and it's ready to go. Again, who knew? Now? Best thing ever!
I've already written about Good News/Bad News. Here is the new deck, replacing the old one crushed by the snow that plunged off my roof in March. Should be done in a few days. If the tornado had struck us, I believe the new deck would have anchored our house down to prevent it from being blown away. It is built like a freakin' tank. I love it.
And of course, all that firewood is being provided for us thanks to a disastrous tornado that struck last week. Good can come from evil. I am sad for the people whose houses were damaged. I am especially sad for the family of the lady who was killed in the storm. I am grateful for the wood that will heat my family this winter, and for the love of good friends that is helping me harvest it.
Jehovah Jireh. YHWH Provides.
More on the storm yet to come.
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2 comments:
AVI talks in these "I'll just tear out this wall and fix it right up" terms sometimes, too, and it's terrifying. Though he did do a great job on that porch he built over the course of last year.
We used to have a wood-burning stove. It makes your basement toasty and the rest of your house... livable.
Livable is good. I don't believe in bringing children up in luxury. It stunts their growth. Warmth breeds disease and indolence. Bracing cold builds health and strong character. Mostly the stove's job will be to make sure the pipes don't freeze. Plumbers are expensive.
Oh yeah...so is heating oil.
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