We have a lot of snow for so early in the year. I’ve been out snowshoeing. The woods are gorgeous.
Nice to snowshoe three days in a row. But our next winter storm is starting with light rain.
It’s taken my mind awhile to get to writing this post. There has been a surreal poignancy to the world for many months, causing normal activities to seem abnormal, bogged down, and harder to sustain. The COVID-19 pandemic and abysmal government leadership cause enormous stress, as does the unusually high degree of political divisiveness during this election year. Work levels have been high, too, and I hadn’t taken enough days off.
So when September came, and with it hunting season, I looked forward to getting away on a float trip with a couple of friends to hunt for moose. Just getting outside and off the grid would be therapeutic—and it was.
Since fuel prices went way up in 2005, we’ve been burning 3-4 cords of firewood every winter to augment our fuel-oil boiler heat. Along with energy related upgrades and a better wood stove, it’s really lowered our heating costs and carbon footprint. Before 2005 we’d been more lax in our wood burning, using it mostly on really cold days. But we’ve been cutting our own firewood for well over 20 years.