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 cross brace I put on the shed to steady against this year’s anticipated-but-elusive heavy snows, and a 2x I braced against the stack since it was leaning. (Go figure.) You also see the trouble light I hung up to help me out when I have to gather wood in the dark, which so far I’ve only had to do a couple of times this year.

Hereafter would traditionally follow a bunch of boasting about how wood heat is so great and free and yada yada, but that makes folks jealous who have to live in a third-floor apartment in the big city, like we used to do. If you hafta live in the city you hafta, so no yada. I’ll just say I’m grateful to be living a toasty-warm lifestyle for ridiculously cheap, and to be just over a quarter through my fuel supply at halfway through the burning season.