Crestonia is apparently in one of the twice yearly periods known as “shoulder seasons.” Last night low was 8 degrees. Not warm. From what the locals say, in winter proper there can be 2-4 week periods where it doesn’t get above 0. Woah. Still, today’s high was lovely 36. In the sun and with basically no wind, jeans and doubled tee shirts was plenty. Yes I was outside gathering and cutting wood.

I’m learning about it all. Wood for fires I mean. First, I used to have it all stored on the back patio. Meaning over half of the patio had stacks of wood about my height. Then, because firewood is (don’t laugh) safer 30 feet and uphill from homes, I moved it, mostly with a pair of 5 gallon buckets.

Ash is left when wood is burned. Not a big surprise for most. The issue is the fire box is only so large and it is not a problem to have enough ash to make for poor air circulation. Which means cleaning the stove in the morning when the thing is cold and, these days, in the afternoon too from the AM fire.

The ash goes in a smallish galvanized bucket picked up from the Salida thrift store. Once cooled, I walk out to the frozen meadow past the larger and as yet unused wood stack 30 feet away and uphill and spread it out. Is that the right thing? Got me; that’s what the locals say to do. There is talk of composting – maybe it’ll end up there some day.

Of course taking ash out implies the need to bringing wood in. At first I was simply glad to have some and each new bough automatically made the pile larger. That said, the smallest pieces, tiny twigs for starting the fire I mean, do have their own pile. As time as passed, with wood coming in and out, stratifications have developed. Namely the best I’ve put in the large pile for winter proper. The patio IMO has about half a cord of all kinds and almost all the kindling. Upstairs in the north bedroom are boxes (15?) of wood not larger than my wrist as a just in case.