Elmira boils my water, makes my coffee, cooks my meals, roasts my meat and adds warmth to my life. Nicknamed The Little Sister because she comes in second to the primary heat source, the parlor stove.
Worked hard with no time off and ne’er the hint of spit nor polish, she is a loyal and constant companion.
Yet she will consume my firewood at alarming rates, requires constant vigilance and with a single lapse of judgement might burn down the house around me or murder me in my sleep. She’s The Little Sister.
When to add wood? Anytime you check her. When to check her? Anytime you think of it. Ignore this at your peril. Never let your guard down, never turn your back on her.
To imagine that living barely on the grid is somehow romantic and easy going would be the far end of the ludicrous spectrum. Anyone who burns solid fuel for heat and cooking will understand the implications of a controlled fire inside one’s house; controlled being the operative term, if any fire at all.
Merely mentioning the topic of fire around a farmstead only invites catastrophe and should be followed by frequent knockings on wood and invoking of the fates. Better still - checking on the fires.
Nature seeking balance comes in many forms. Hyper alertness is the price paid for protection from the elements as well as sustenance. Winter here is a full-time occupation with obvious hazards. There is little time left for anything else.
This should not dissuade you from trying; it’s just that there is a certain breed of person predisposed to accept the risks in exchange for principled living. Principled living in this example meaning reducing the use of non-renewable, carbon-based resources in a world struggling over those resources at increasing rates. And the pursuit of a level of normalcy.
If you want to climb mountains, you’ll have to do it until you learn to love walking uphill. If you want to heat with wood, you’ll have to do it until you learn to love splitting wood and tending the fires. It is there you will cherish the benefits while coping with the hazards. There are no shortcuts.
If you think my Little Sister should be shiny and crisp, the job can be yours - there are larger issues for this one.
Like the farm store:
Works is a farmstead and as such relies on input and output. This is input. Unless there is output nature is unbalanced. A paywall would be potential output in exchange for input. Since there is no hurry to extend subscriptions here, then creative ways to generate income is in order. Wood and woodwork are agricultural pursuits. Folk art and working in the old ways is my approach to wood. The spirit of the object is both aesthetic and pragmatic. Another season of shows and fairs will soon be commencing, when we hit the road to peddle our wares. Why not offer some of that work here for readers to peruse and purchase if they like? If you think this a good idea, then comment below and we can get started. Any work coming from here is heirloom quality and worth more than the asking price.
Money will help WORKS to get to the next level: livestock. The breed is selected (Dorper Sheep) and fencing, energizers, power supplies etc. are all in the planning stage. A long time in coming, the time to implement is approaching.
Some of the challenges:
purebred ewes can be hundreds of dollars each, rams even more
pure blood ewes can be thousands of dollars each
parasites are an issue with sheep, diagnostics and treatments cost money
initial herd and infrastructure is front loaded expense
herd survival in the first three years is critical
So you can see why a call to action is needed. The goal is a food supply into perpetuity for home use and friends and family. Spring lamb, holiday lambs and high quality meat products are target efforts. Fryer chickens, laying hens will follow.
But there are no guarantees here. Hard work and persistence along with the support of actively engaged participants might see it through.
Farming and storytelling go hand in hand, the reason for S&UP. The family farm is the story, and you are part of that family and the story. Rise to the occasion.
Country Wit and Wisdom
Strategy for reducing spending: pull money from pocket - put it in the other.