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It’s a cold one today in my neighborhood!  Even though the sun is shining the temperature high today will only reach around 40 degrees.  Tonight’s low 19 degrees.  Now that’s a "throw another quilt on the bed" kind of night.

This  is the kind of day I’d like to have a wood burning stove to back up to.  Just sit down in a chair and warm my bones through and through.  I’m getting warmer just thinking about it.

The only heat we had in our small house when I was growing up was a wood stove in the living room.  At one time the cooking was done on a wood stove in the kitchen but by the time I came along we had an electric stove.  The kitchen being the fartherest away from the living room was always the coldest after the electric stove took the place of the wood stove.  I can remember my mother turning on the oven and opening the oven door on the coldest of mornings.  Some time after that a small electric heater was added to the kitchen.

Of course, the fire was almost out by the time morning rolled around.  I could lay snuggly in bed until wood was added on the bed of coals and the fire had time to warm up the house.  I guess our house would be termed "drafty" by todays standards.  I’m sure there was no insulation.  We did have plenty of trees to cut for fire wood though.  One of my jobs when I got old enough to push the wheelborrow, was to bring wood from the "wood pile" and stack it on the porch.

I’d gladly do that job right now just to have a warm wood stove!

The wood pile would have been on the right.  My father is headed in that direction with the bucket in his hand.  Maybe getting a bucket of kindling to get the fire going quicker in the morning.  Our house and yard would have been just to my left.  A humble abode of 5 rooms which didn’t include a bathroom.