The farmers all say that if you have more than half the firewood in the shed in February, you have enough to last the winter. We have more than half, although the last week or so moved a cord or two.
I used to bring all the firewood in, but my back and leg said it was time to hand this task over. Maria claims to love doing it, and I believe her. I helped her bring it in today and felt good about it.
I will never be comfortable watching other people do more and more of the world I once did. But it is something I need to accept.
I love the feeling when the wood is stacked up in the dining room and living room, well away from the stoves. The heat of the stoves is even and warm. The stoves keep our house at a steady 67 degrees, a little. We turn the stoves off when the temperature outside is in the high 30s or 40s.
The stoves and our solar panel have been wise decisions for us. Our electric bill last month was $14.13. The two months before were zero.
The firewood does cost money, and it’s going up every year. Last year, we bought about $1,500 worth of firewood. We use about seven chords a winter. We won’t need that much next winter. We’ll have plenty of wood left. Maria, at her own insistence, does all the stacking aad hauling.
She doesn’t want any help.
Jon are you talking bush cords not face cords …seven bush cords for 1500,00. If so, consider yourself lucky you don’t live up here in southern Ontario, Canada. I paid twice that much for seven bush cords last year for this winter. I appreciate your comment about the farmer saying if you have half what you ordered still in your shed, you’ll get through the winter. This is always a gamble…how much wood to buy ahead of the winter season. I calculate heating a two story home in the country between seven and eight bush cords per winter, generally speaking. And we’ve had a wave of ash bore destroying the ash trees last year. Ash to me is one of the hardiest and longest burning wood. I lost nine ash trees last year and thankfully was able to have them cut up and stacked in addition to the seven bush cords. Ordering your wood ahead of the season isn’t an exact science but when spring comes and you still have wood left, it’s a time to rejoice.
SandySmallProudfoot
Never heard those terms Sandy you can see the wood in the photo above, just cut wood chopped into two pieces. I am very lucky to live here..
Thanks, Sandy, for expanding my knowledge of a cord. I don’t think I have ever heard of a bush cord and certainly haven’t had one delivered. I have had rounds delivered to be cleaved, getting my heat worth out the wood.
not sure anyone will be back reading this but a bush cord is larger than a face cord, here in Ontario and elsewhere I imagine. I didn’t realize that these terms were not applied everywhere, thanks for enlightening me.. You can find info online about it. I buy bush cords for my heating as they are larger.
Sandy P.
thanks…
We live in “balmy ” Tennessee and run two wood stoves – one in the house and one in our shop. We Wish our own wood : a ” cord ” of wood. Interested to read the terminology in upstate New York. We have never had “zero ” electric bill. Would be nice.