Many of you know that I heat solely with wood and that I live in the mountains of northern New Mexico at 8500 feet. In winters past I’ll admit I semi-dreaded the season’s arrival because it means extra chores: staying on top of the wood (being certain I’m not running low)—keeping it dry, filling the inside bins and just building and stoking the fires each day. But this winter, because we had so little snow last year and a very dry summer because of it, I am looking forward to winter and am hoping for LOTS and LOTS of snow.
Even so, I always put off making the first fire of the season until it’s cold enough that layers of wool no longer keep me warm and I simply must start a fire. This year was no exception. I think I do it in part because, like my mother told me as a teenager wanting to shave my legs for the first time, once you start you have to keep doing it—and I feel an abiding respect for the resources of my fires—trees. I want to use only what I really need. So I bundle up against the chill and drink tea and hot chocolate.
But today I had to finally give in. It’s been gray and wet for three days, and without the solar gain of the sun, my house has become cold (wet cold is so much chillier than dry cold—have any of you noticed that?). Even the animals looked uncomfortable.
So it was definitely time to start the first fire of the season. And, of course, at the END of the LAST fire season, I’d put off doing my least favorite chore: dumping the ashes from the ash bucket. So I had to face doing that now. That’s when I had the epiphany that if I took you all with me I could make these chores creative and fun instead of a drudge. And you know what? It worked!
Then I needed to clean out the ashes from last season (another least favorite chore), but Big Girl was there to help.
And then I could lay the fire. I LOVE my wood stove! It is so easy to light and it keeps both floors of my house snug and warm.
Skye was the first of the animals to realize we had fire. Ever since rescuing her as a starving pup running lost in the snow (see previous post Night Skye) she has relished warmth, unlike Kelee who loves nothing more than to roll around in the snow. Go Figure. (see previous post A Three Legged Man of the West). Then came Bubs, also a sucker for a fire (see previous post Bubby’s Grand Adventure Outdoors), closely followed by Finn and Tobey (see previous post Rescue Dog: Meet Finn (Survivor)).
We all settled into a luxurious day enjoying the beauty of the much needed rain outside while cozy, snug and warm inside. And then it began to snow!
Love to you all,
Jeane
Jeane, wood fires really are the best. I has always been a dream of mine to live in a home with a wood stove. Love all the pics of your babes!
I LOVE heating with wood! My first winter here I used traditional heating. It cost a fortune and I was cold all the time. My wonderful mom gave me the wood heater, installed, as a 60th birthday present (great mom, huh?) and I have never looked back–even when we had record-breaking lows last winter, down to -20. You should think about getting one, especially if it’s one of your dreams.
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, fireplaces are grand aren’t they? Soooo cozy!
I just started using our gas fireplace too, but we had two fireplaces on the same floor before the house burnt down and know what the ashe cleaning entails well – yippee for you making it a pleasant adventure:)
SNOW!! WOW. You are really at a much higher elevation than we are…so we now have RAIN :). Sea level does that. We actually live on a hill that gets snow before those down at the water level do so our hill may end up even more interesting to navigate than your roads where everyone knows how to drive on them…remember those Seattle snows…oy yoi yoi lol.
XOXOX
Grace
I DO remember those Seattle snows! The city seized up with 3″! Remember that winter when we were hit with 12″ one night and 12″ the next? Power was out at my place for a week. But it was VERY beautiful
Yes, everybody knows how to deal with the snow here. Even so, I wouldn’t be able to get out my road without a Jeep. Am very grateful to have it.
Jeane, I just love your home…inside and out. And to have it filled with cats and dogs!!
Thanks Linda. I feel truly blessed. So happy to be able to share it.
Thanks for sharing! I love seeing the “kids” gathering around the blazing warmth and you HAVE made cleaning the fireplace FUN! The photo of Finn with the snowflakes on his back makes him look like a fawn! I have a feeling that we are all going to get a lot of snow this year…it is predicted! Stay warm good friend!
Oh, I hope you’re right about the snow! WE sure need it! I know our friends on the east coast don’t, though. Maybe we could get what they got last year and let them have a more average year, huh?
Our ash can from last winter still awaits us. May your inspiring photo essay motivate us to dump it! Skye in the kitty enclosure with clumps of snow giving her an appaloosa look is the photo of the season.
Oh, I hope it does! So much better on that truly frigid morning that finally requires fire, not to have to travel across the cold reaches of your yard to your ash dump. Skye does love the snow. Here’s a picture of her the next morning that didn’t make it into the “Snow” post.
I find myself getting almost giddy reading your posts and looking at the lovely country surrounding you. I so admire your lifestyle. I live in Boston and would be glad to give you some of the snow we receive.
Funny story: I have a cat who enjoyed fires in our fireplace from the time he came with me. We now live in a place with no fireplace. Recently I downloaded an app called Fireplace to my Mac. I opened it and much to my surprise, I had a lovely roaring, crackling fire (you could adjust the crackle!) on my cinema screen. I decided to head downstairs and grab some tea.
When I returned, just a few minutes later, my cat had jumped on my desk and positioned himself near the screen/fireplace! He was probably a little perplexed that he wasn’t getting as warm as he used to! Mind you, it had been years since he saw a fire; but he heard the crackling and had to get close.
Thanks for sharing all the loveliness and being you.
Thank you, Kat, for such a lovely compliment and for sharing your VERY sweet story (and photo).
Animals remember much more than we think they do. Years ago I was involved with a group in Ellensburg, WA that was teaching American Sign Language to chimps (Project Washoe). This was before they had built the outdoor enclosures and the Foutses were always looking for ways to stimulate the chimps. They often popped popcorn and had slide shows for them (in the course of their work they shot lots of slides of the chimps). One night, during a slide show, a photo of Allie, a chimp Washoe had mated with and had a child with, came up. More than 5 years earlier, the facility that owned Allie demanded him back, in spite of the pleas to let the project buy him. And here it was 5 years later. Washoe saw Allie’s photo, walked to the wall where it was projected, traced his face with her finger and made the sign she’d always used as her term of endearment for him.
Certainly, humans are not the only ones to remember.
Glad you gave your guy a virtual fire.
Tears in my eyes, my heart says yessss.
I’m with you: yessss.