THE FIRING OF THE STOVE

SATURDAY APRIL 30, 2005
WE DECIDED THAT NO MATTER HOW COLD IT GOT, WE WE'RE GOING TO STAY AT SHAG III. AND COLD IT GOT. WE FINISHED UP THE WORK AT SHAG II AND HEADED FOR III. I SPENT MOST OF THE AFTERNOON PLANTING MY NEW PINE TREES TO TAKE PLACE OF ALL THE CEDARS I WAS FORCED TO CUT DOWN. JOHANNA AND SAM CAME DOWN LATER IN THE AFTERNOON AND IMMEDIATELY NANCE, JOHANNA AND SAM HEADED FOR THE TIMBER TO EXPLORE. THEY CAME BACK ABOUT AN HOUR LATER AND WE HAD OUR SUPPER COOKED TO PERFECTION OVER THE CAMPFIRE.
AFTER SAM AND JOHANNA LEFT, I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO FIRE UP THE WOODBURNING COOKSTOVE TO SEE IF WE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. AROUND 11:00 PM IT WAS BEDTIME, SO I PUT ONE FINAL LOG ONTO THE FIRE. IT LASTED UNTIL ABOUT 1:30 AM. I WOKE UP AND IT WAS DARN COLD. I CHECKED THE FIRE, IT HAD PRETTY WELL DIED DOWN. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 42 DEGREES. SO I FIRED UP THE STOVE AGAIN, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM TO BE WARMING THINGS UP. THEN I RAN OUT OF WOOD, SO LIKE A TRUE PIONEER, IT WAS OUT INTO THE COLDER COLD TO GET A FRESH SUPPLY. AND WHILE I WAS OUT AND ALREADY COLD, I DECIDED TO MAKE A TRIP TO THE OUTHOUSE. IT MADE ME IMAGINE WHAT THE PIONEERS WENT THRU WHEN THERE WAS A BLIZZARD OR 25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
GOT THE STOVE FIRED BACK UP AGAIN. IT WAS NOW ABOUT 4:00 AM. AND IT WAS STILL ONLY 52 DEGREES. SO I DECIDED TO SEE WHAT THE LITTLE STOVE WOULD DO, AND REALLY PILED ON THE WOOD. PRETTY SOON I HAD A ROARING FIRE AND SOON WARMED THE CABIN UP TO 67 DEGREES. OF COURSE IT WAS NOW 5:00 AM AND NO WAY COULD I GO BACK TO SLEEP NOW. BESIDES I NOW HAVE ANOTHER MOUSE MAKING THE MISTAKE OF PROVOKING ME FOR NO REASON. HE MOVES ALONG THE WALL TO THE DOOR AND JUST SITS THERE, PROBABLY WAITING FOR ME TO OPEN THE DOOR SO HE CAN GET OUT. NO WAY. I HERD HIM BACK TOWARDS ANOTHER WALL WHERE I KNOW THERE IS A MOUSE TRAP. SNAP!!! HE'S GONE.
NANCE FINALLY GETS UP AND HAS COFFEE, THEN WE HEAD OUT TO FINISH CLEARING UP THE GIGANTIC BRUSH PILE LEFT BY THE FORMER OWNERS. WE STOP FOR BREAKFAST, THEN FINISH UP THE PILE. IT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD COMPARED TO WHEN WE STARTED.
I TOOK A WALK AND FOUND A NATURAL PATH FOR OUR NATURE WALK. IT ONLY GOES ABOUT 50FT BUT ITS A START. I CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THIS CHALLANGE, BUT ALSO NEED TO GET A STORAGE BUILDING STARTED. AM GETTING TIRED OF STORING THINGS ON THE PORCH.
NANCE DOESN'T KNOW IT YET BUT I AM CLAIMING THE REMAINDER OF THE FIREPLACE BLOCKS TO USE FOR A FOUNDATION FOR THE STORAGE BUILDING. I'M PRETTY SURE MY CLAIM WILL BE OVERTURNED, BUT WORTH A TRY.
LATER, BOI