staying toasty

As part of preparing for the coming winter, I called a wood person at the tail end of August for a delivery. I met the person when he helped work on the addition to our house. I'm glad I called (and that he called back) because I have a tendancy to put these things off. Then September 1 or 15 rolls around and no one has wood to sell or it gets expensive. But if you call too early, you're in the back yard stacking when it's too beastly hot to move and the mosquitos and other biters are feasting.

My timing was also good because even though gas prices had gone up a lot when I called, Katrina had not yet hit. Apparently, there's now price-gouging in the wood lot as the price of oil and gas soar post-storm.

John (the wood man) has a pickup truck that he says holds half a cord, so we'll get three deliveries in all. The first two came last night. It's beautiful wood -- quite dry -- and I think his truck holds a very generous half cord. Our neighbor pitched in, so now we have the first two thirds stacked already, with the last bit to come this evening. And our neighbor ordered some too. John will also bring some kindling by from his day job -- kiln-dried ends of 2x4s and 2x6s.

The thing is that we have electric heat, which I've never minded, but I never feel like the house gets warm into its bones. The wood stove takes care of that, and it's fun to watch the cat curl up first right next to the fire, then move half way across the living room, then back again. Given the speed at which fall is coming (it was 45 degrees last night), I think we'll be nice and toasty this winter.