Winter's Firewood Prep Etc.

Winter is well on it's way here. The snow isn't deep yet, but the temps plummeted weeks ago. Burley and I as always, are cozy in the house. And the way we stay cozy, is with the little mini
wood stove.

Working on the couch with a cuddly dog is a wonderful part of cold weather!

My firewood always starts with lengths like this collected from standing dead trees or ones that have  recently toppled onto a lane somewhere around the property I live on. 

And not related to my firewood at all, a friend and I spent an afternoon the other day working to provide firewood for an elderly couple we know in the area. They are kind of like my adopted grandparents, and being close to their 80's, gathering their own is getting difficult for them. But working with friends to do things like this is so much fun! I know some folks think living off grid or in a remote area means you have no human connections, but I think there tends to be even more as you actually know your neighbors (in the mountains this can mean you live within an hour of each other) and help each other out. So that was a fun project! 

Back to my wood. Once I get those logs to my house, they need to turn into rounds. Which you can see me working on below.

And then of course it needs to be split so that it fits inside my little wood stove.

And sometimes I split wood while talking to the camera. The rest of the time I listen to books while splitting wood which is one of my favorite chores. 

And then the finished wood all goes into my wood bin. Lots of folks suggest that I pile it all right beside the house. See why it's all stored where it is.

And with all of that, we stay warm and cozy here through the long 8+ months of winter! I really enjoy the whole process of collecting to splitting my wood. The physical activity, the relaxing aspects of projects that give you a visible result quickly, and of course, all the napping in front of a toasty fire. :)