In my prior post I mentioned having equipment to deal with the cold. There was also mention of fur and ashes. Let me elaborate.

Walking Zeke at 21 below. I don’t bother wearing glasses. That is frost on my hair wisps. My eyelashes sometimes ice up too.

From nose to toes I cover up as much as possible. I have long underwear from Cabela’s. Hunting clothes are great for warmth and wicking. My Sorrels are big and clunky, but paired with thick woolen socks, they do keep my toes toasty. They don’t breathe at all, so l take the liners out every several days to dry them out. I have baggy boy jeans to go over my long underwear. Hauling water and feed for the birds and wood for the stove can wear through a pair of girl jeans in half a day. A nice plaid shirt and my Carhart jacket keeps the top of me wind proof. Then I add an alpaca scarf under my “fake beard,” which allows me to create a nest that heats air before it hits my asthmatic lungs. A pair of lined goat skin gloves completes the ensemble.

Zeke is still eager to go on walkies, but I know it’s time to go back when he starts to try to hold all his feet off the ground.

The pavement shrank enough in the current cold to create cracks. Big ones. This doesn’t happen every winter.

We’ve gone through a bunch of wood. We have two more bins this size that are mostly full. Filling the wood bins before snow falls is a yearly priority. I’d feel worse about my carbon footprint except using the downed wood probably is more efficien… — We’ve gone through a bunch of wood. We have two more bins this size that are mostly full. Filling the wood bins before snow falls is a yearly priority. I’d feel worse about my carbon footprint except using the downed wood probably is more efficient than using oil shipped from Canada or Texas.

The wood burning stove lives in my office nook. This is the oldest part of the house and has no other source of heat. Wood heat is as cozy as it gets (smells good too), but spreads wood chips, dirt and fine ash. We haven’t finished the wallboard in … — The wood burning stove lives in my office nook. This is the oldest part of the house and has no other source of heat. Wood heat is as cozy as it gets (smells good too), but spreads wood chips, dirt and fine ash. We haven’t finished the wallboard in this room as it will all get torn out again when we convert this area into a kitchen. Some day I shall have counter space!

We double plastic the two single pane windows that still live in my office nook. The stripe on the wall that continues along the ceiling is where we took out a wall so that the wood stove could more efficiently heat the rest of the un heated space. … — We double plastic the two single pane windows that still live in my office nook. The stripe on the wall that continues along the ceiling is where we took out a wall so that the wood stove could more efficiently heat the rest of the un heated space. That is an awning you see outside the window. It keeps the window from leaking, but blocks any view. We will be installing all new windows in this area. Some day I shall see trees!

We have been here going on seven years. It seems we should have more done, except when you factor in that we do the work ourselves. This means we balance style and comfort. The part we have completed is fairly stylish, as well as comfy. My lust for counter space will overcome the inertia of having gotten used to dirt and ashes in my office nook. Just see if it doesn’t!