Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

When Glasses Frost and freeze from the Car to the Front Door

The temperature has plunged this week and the wind has made -15 degree F weather even more bitterly cold. Ten years ago I invested in an outdoor wood stove. For most of those years it cost me more in time and effort and I’d have been ahead just buying propane or natural gas. This year however, was a game changer.

I had a pretty good supply gathered but it was gone in December. I went into a crash program of cutting and splitting and have managed to tread water through January. I am hearing the horror stories now about supply shortages and how prices have risen from around $1 a gallon to from $5-$7 a gallon. These might be exaggerated. My storage tank is still over 60% full but that is because I only expect the gas to bridge the gap between what the wood stove can provide and the 60 degrees we maintain in the house. At night we turn the thermostat down to 50 degrees and climb under the electric blankets. Actually I rather enjoy sleeping at a lower temperature with my wife on one side and my golden doodle on the other. What I hate is having to get up early, go outside and restart the wood stove after it has all but gone out in the night.

Anyway I have definitely made money this year chopping, blocking and splitting my own firewood. I have saved, even considering the hassle of gathering the wood, chainsaw upkeep, wear and tear on the equipment, and splitting and stacking. In a pinch I could have done more by turning off the water circulating through the cement floor of the garage/workshop. As it is the garage is just below 40 degrees F and the shop is at 50. I need the building sort of warm to make the starting of my old diesel equipment easier. If I need to work in the shop I can turn on the “Modine” which is a heat exchanger that blows hot air and hangs from the ceiling, providing an additional circuit of hot water from the wood stove.

The mind numbing cold is manageable if you stay healthy and prepare for it.