Noah pulls the wood cart to the door. He and the little boys climb up and down the garage stairs with armloads of seasoned fire wood. They trudge through the house pulling that now heavy wood cart back to the wood burner where it waits its turn for the next wood stove fill.
But that's not all....it's colder than normal, so the boys load their arms a few more times. They haul wood to the basement and lie it next to another wood burner. It's hard work...it's good work; and I am proud of the work these little men-in-training are doing to keep our home warm.
Daddy wakes at 2 am. He's keeping the house warm at 66 degrees. Sleepy-eyed he walks to the warm living room to load our heat, then down to the basement he quietly moves to load yet another. He turns the blower on and the warm air blows through a vent to the first floor.
We keep warm with lots of blankets and layers. Hannah goes to bed giggling because she's wrapped in five handmade quilts. Some made by her ma, one by her grandmother and others by herself. She is proud of those quilts and each is a special treasure.
We have traditional heat, but find it a fun and rewarding challenge not turning that little dial. It feels artificial now.....it's expensive...propane. Besides, it's a beautiful feeling sitting by a warm fire in the evening with my family gathered round playing games and flipping through books. What could be better on a freezing winter night?
