NO NEED TO WORRY.
Several years back, when I still lived in New York City, I got deathly sick. I was often sick in New York, but that winter I'm pretty sure I caught pneumonia (or something frighteningly similar). And it just so happened to occur during one of the many religious holidays where our landlords would take off work, thus getting ahold of someone––should something go wrong––became utterly impossible. Respectfully.Then something went wrong. The heat went out in our building while the temperatures dropped into the low twenties for days on end. And I remember feeling incredibly hopeless. I didn't have health insurance so I couldn't afford to go to the doctor, and no one in the building could get ahold of the landlords or the super. I have never felt so miserable or so close to death. I spent that weekend huddled around a cheap space heater, under a stack of blankets, coughing and probably crying a little.It was frightening to me how out of my control this situation was. The heat of the building was entirely in someone else's hands––as was the water and electricity––and if you happened to have pneumonia during a cold holiday when the heat went out, tough luck. With that being said, I cannot tell you how comfortable I feel right now. It's verging on single digit temperatures outside, and I couldn't be more confident.We have nothing but control over the heat in our house. We are safe, the firewood's not going to run out, and fire itself is not going to suddenly go on vacation. I recall this weekend in New York as a turning point for me––a moment in which I decided enough was enough. I no longer wanted to live at the whim of other people, of old heaters in old buildings, of old city grids in old cities. I wanted a cabin in the woods with a wood stove. I wanted control.And six years later, that's what I have. I have safety and comfort and consistency and peace of mind. I have a wife and baby who can sleep well knowing they too are safe, that the heat is not going to go out on us. Moreover, as a bonus, because of this life we live I rarely get anywhere near that sick anymore. My health is something else I'm much more in control of these days. So if you ever wondering how we're doing during these brutally cold days of winter? Don't worry, we couldn't be better.- Jesse.
WOOD FARMER.
Right now I have one main chore every week (and when I get behind, every day): cut, collect, split and stack firewood.Admittedly, I did not do a great job of stocking up this year. That is to say, we do have plenty of cured wood around, just that it's ALL around. Often I have to drive the truck, cut and haul wood back to the house, split and stack it. Then burn it, obviously, because I'm behind. Rinse and repeat.To be honest, though, It's not a bad job. Talk to me in ten years of living solely off wood, but for the moment, for this first year entirely cooking––even through the summer––and heating on wood, I'm rather enjoying it. I like having this relationship to timber. The complex personalities and characters of the different species are fascinating to me––the fresh lime aroma of Poplar; the meaty look, rubbery texture and gamey smell of Elm (locally pronounced: EL-um); the lactic acid bouquet of Cedar accompanied by its lively pink interior; Sassafras, the root beer soda of firewood (ahem, SASS-friss).Watching each wood burn I like observing, however modest, their individual control over the fire. Cedar, for instance, burns hot and furious, whereas hard woods like Oak and Dogwood loiter and burn lazily (though admittedly cast a great ember when they're gone). There is a lot of information to be found in a fire, and the type of heat the wood gives off. It's a heat that seems to wrap itself around your shoulders, rubbing cold from your bones, and tending to your frozen limbs with the efficiency of a loving mother––much different than the impassive steam or electric heats. Wood creates a complex heat, the heat that invented cozy, and a well-flavored heat. Bake a sweet potato in a gas oven and compare it to a wood-oven-baked sweet potato and there is no contest. It may be more moody, but wood is often the best ingredient in about any dish.I've still got a great deal to learn about wood, and a great deal more I would like to know. Eventually, I would like to start woodworking. I would like to learn more about all the different uses of all the different woods. But until then, I'm getting a pretty good education just hauling the stuff around and burning it. Emersion, as they say.- Jesse.
ABRACADABRA...CABIN!
Like I said last week, things started to move quickly once we poured the concrete footers! Here is some of the week's progress:
Can you believe it!? THINGS ARE HAPPENING! Jesse and I are exhausted, but so excited. We have learned a LOT about construction from some really great guys - and on top of that, we have been splitting our time between working on the house and clearing trees from our future pasture. We are trying to get some firewood stockpiled AND the roof on the cabin before we leave for Nashville this weekend. I'll let you know if we make it!- Hannah.