I
t's cold out there, folks. We've dropped below 0° Fahrenheit for the first time this Winter, and it's time to start testing the capabilities of the woodstove. I'd really like to find a system for keeping the house reasonably warm all night without having to wake up at midnight to restock the flames, but if that's what it takes, that is what I'll do.
It's always fun taking on the seasons in this way -- with the huge headstart given me by modern technology and my economic situation. I bet it would feel way crazier in a drafty eighteenth century log cabin, just seeing the snow pile up against the walls, and the diminishing stores of firewood. Vermonters back in the day were made of stern stuff.