Comments on: Keeping the Home Fires Burning: Mere Survival Was Good For Society

By: Becca

Becca — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:59:47 +0000

Another great use for your stove is to put a pot of water on top to let evaporate into your air to keep things from being so dry and static-y during the winter months.

By: Charity

Charity — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:40:35 +0000

Kelly, I agree completely with the point of your post. When my husband lost his job, chopping wood for our stove helped him feel like (realize) he was still providing for his family. Hard work can be therapy

By: Kelly L

Kelly L — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:52:14 +0000

Linda, my daughter has learned not to say she is bored (and she is an only child with no siblings to play with). When she says she is bored, I give her an extra chore to do around the house….dusting baseboards, cleaning light switches, vacuuming blinds. I actually like it when she says it! *WINK*
But I agree, idleness is not from the Lord.

By: Bernice

Bernice — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:42:37 +0000

After reading your post yesterday I decided to warm supper on the wood stove. hehe. Now today I have a pot of stew cooking. I have thought of doing this in the past but you gave me the push. Thanks. Now I can save propane and since it is cold here the heat is nessasary anyway.

By: Civilla

Civilla — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:32:09 +0000

I’ve talked to old-timers who say that kids didn’t get in so much trouble when they had chores to do.

By: brenda

brenda — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:05:36 +0000

My 10 year old has been having deep thoughts about this very thing lately. She was watching a commercial for some chopper and she said she thought that made people lazy. We talked about fanning ourselves vs. sitting in front of a fan. Why I don’t always use the dishwasher. How technology has helped and how it has hurt…..deep thoughts for a 10 year old!

By: Diana

Diana — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:07:34 +0000

Love this post. Grew up where the power went out, with ice-storms. We had a wood-burning stove. We cooked/slept in front of it. We had relatives/friends come over during this. <3

By: Margaret

Margaret — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:45:28 +0000

Wow, I’m jealous of that stove!! I soooo want to have a wood-burning stove.

We will probably never have wood heat. Someone mentioned Nepal, but my dh has a similar experience from Ethiopia, the deforestation, terrible burns, etc. When he was 6 he actually burnt down the family’s grass hut (took a stick out of the fire and started waving it around, out of curiousity), and his baby sister only barely escaped. Fire is not his friend, lol.

But we would agree with you about the underlying point. Physical labor and the need to pull together in order just to survive is something our society has lost and that has come with consequences.

By: Brandi

Brandi — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:51:20 +0000

I live in Florida, but we are experiencing some very cold weather (18 degrees) right now. I like the few weeks of cold that we get here. We have a wood burning fire place, and it is full time work to keep the fire burning. At all times, somebody is chopping, stacking, or adding wood to the fire.

Like you Kelly, the electric bill is too much. So, we are trying to be proactive in doing what we can to get it down. It makes good farm work for the children to collect and stack the wood. Always looking for useful age appropriate work for my children. My husband just finished building a chicken coop. We used the design from “teaching good things”. Soon, we will be getting some laying hens and this will be another useful farm chore.
So far, no use of electric heating this year. I’m hoping it reflects in the utility bill!

By: Civilla

Civilla — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:46:53 +0000

Keep a kettle of water on the stove, too, to use the moisture to humidify the house (makes it feel warmer), and always available for coffee or tea, or hot water for dishes, etc. (We lived in Korea, and the Koreans always kept a pot of water on their kerosene heaters.) Don’t let it run dry, though, and start a fire or anything. We’ve had 28-below zero here this week!