Being warm during the cold season on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee

       While surfing the internet today I came across a picture of one of my wood stoves, really a wood stove insert for a fireplace.  Recently I put a large maple "seasoned" log (that I cut yesterday) into it. It should burn on low most of the day. This stove was built by a local Mennonite fellow maybe ten years ago.

            As I type, I am also sitting by a smaller wood stove that makes enough heat to be good for my morale. Now right now I am using charcoal for heat, though I have also used locally mined anthracite coal in it, as well as yard wood, and other such things. And yes I have extra grates for when I burn coal.

            So I started adding up what I do presently have in this two cottage compound. Well the cottage next door has a "modern" wood stove with a bi-metal thermostat, plus a more primitive wood stove in another room, too.

            My home school would go in the room with the "modern" wood stove. There's a thermocouple powered fan on top of it, too. So I figure it will be good for the morale of kids learning from the school in this room.

            Last, I have one more primitive wood stove to be installed either in one part of the barn, or my three-sided shelter about 400 meters from here.

            That is how important being warm during the cold season is to me, and my morale. This especially applies if it is raining or snowing.  Mostly it is just the expectation of knowing warmth is around the corner, so to speak. So even if and when I do security patrols at night and during the cold season, at least I can expect some heat (and something warm to drink) from these wood stoves. And I do have just under a square mile of land, so I do have plenty of wood for these stoves.

PS  Just got back from cutting two days worth of wood. Morale is up.