Is the plural of cord cord or cords? If you know, let me know. Meanwhile, a cord is a tight stack of firewood that is 4’x4’x8’, or 128 cubic feet. Growing up in southern Idaho, we’d burn about six cord(s) a year to keep the house tolerably warm. The first year Jess and I were …

Long, long ago when I was considering trading in my old Camry for a four-wheel-drive something or other, I wondered if I should buy an old pickup truck. For various reasons, I opted not to; and though I’m glad we have the Jeep, we’ve had to make do occasionally. For example, when we built our …

I estimate January 15 to be halfway through the burning season, which ends, by exactly the same precise calculation, on May 1. Here’s our winter heat supply as of the first week of the new year. I’ve used up just over two rows of the seven rows in the wood sheds. Here you see the …

When I was in the eighth grade or so, we read a short story by Jack London called “To Build A Fire” about a dude freezing to death in Alaska. While my circumstances are not quite as dire, I too have had to learn some things about building a fire. Fire needs fuel, air, and …

These trees grew on our mountainside in the sunshine and rain during their dozen years of life. They were brought down by weather or a chain saw, coming though the quiet woods to thin out the stands of weak timber to let sunshine reach the ground again. Their branches and sawdust went back into the …

Well, I’m back in the office. And on Monday, I actually got the GLASS onto the GREENHOUSE! It was the second hardest job I’ve ever done (besides being a parent) since the pieces were over 7’ x 4’, had no edges to grab, weighed about 200 lb. eeach, and had to be lifted at least …

I came in the other day from a chilly evening outdoors and thought, well, summer’s over. I’m building a fire. And I did. I love heating our home with wood. I love every aspect of it (some more than others). I love dropping a dead tree in the forest and blocking it up in bright …

My second-favorite thing about winter is getting firewood in the dark. (About a dozen things contend for the coveted spot of Favorite Thing About Winter, and they alternate depending on the day.) In the wintertime when I get home I always come in, drop off my Spiderman lunch box, grab the firewood tote, and head …

I was so proud of the work I got done this sunny Saturday (to be duly noted in coming days), and so proud that I had all that wood dried out and ready to go, and so proud of my kids’ hard work loading up the old woodshed, that I didn’t notice their woodpile starting …

And here is the new wood shed alongside the old. Together they’re about 50% full. The new woodshed is on the right side of this picture. On Saturday while the kids were hauling wood to the old shed, I was finishing up the new one, complete with tin roofing that’s full o’holes and needs patching. …