One planning factor for your local heat during the cold season

       Today I did an experiment where I live. I live at around 36 degrees north latitude, and around 2,000 feet of altitude. Bottom line, I get cold, but it is not as cold as many other places I have also lived. And my location is on the Cumberland Plateau in east Tennessee.

            So for today's experiment, I scurried around the back yard to pick up pine cones, mostly white pine cones. Now there are many more of these around, plus many more Hemlock cones, too. I thought of myself as being like Mrs. Swallows, who cooked food on a wood stove where I live, and this was around a century ago. Now I am Mrs. Swallows, so to speak.

            As a planning factor where I live, I would suggest a 10 quart bucket of pine cones provides a lot of heat in my wood stove for about 2 to 3 hours. Then it is time to go the Plan B, or do something else, like wear more clothes, or use sleeping bags, or anything to keep the pipes from freezing and bursting.