Sunday, November 16

75 Degrees - Houston, we have Heat

Seventy-Five Degrees Farenheit!

That's the temperature in the house today, most of the day. For "all-around fantastic experiences", this rates up there with the day we got running water, the day we got the dryer, and the day we started up the HVAC. Excluding our wedding day, and the birth days of each of our children, this day rates WAY up there on the awesome-days list. (It's been a good life, really - the list is pretty long.)

Do you know how long it's been since the temperature inside our home has been above 60 in the winter time? Not since we last had a wood stove (and walls, simultaneously). About ten years ago. Makes me feel like this:




Zorak cut the trim today. I was too busy finishing up the remaining fruit and re-canning the unset jelly (yes, finally, I know, I know) to paint the trim, but we'll get around to that. Right now, I'm so happy, I'm even willing to post an unfinished project picture, if you promise to ignore the lack of trim, and the rub marks where the tea cart knocked against the wall, and anything else I may not have noticed amidst my euphoria.




We *love* the stove! The fan is so quiet on low that you can't tell it's on. (Keep in mind, our home is N-O-I-S-Y. If it's just you and your mute cat, you may notice it more than we do. But even when the kids went to bed, the fan didn't make enough noise to notice.)

We've only burned small fires in it, to cure it, yet the bedrooms were comfortable last night - and stayed that way ALL NIGHT. Zorak got up this morning around eight, and the stove was still hot to the touch, still emanating luxurious warmth, and still had enough embers to fire right back up with very little prodding and no actual prayers. We're almost afraid to try a bigger fire.

But we did bake cookies on it. :-) And put the kettle on for cocoa.

I think this is going to be a mighty fine winter holed up in the Forever House. How the toys will fare, though, is still questionable...




Kiss those babies!
~Dy

8 comments:

Urban Mom said...

Oh Gawd, it's in the 30s with snow flurries tonight. Another winter is underway.... Enjoy those 70's! Love the stove, btw!

Amber said...

Congratulations!! I know just how exciting that is. We just got ours working a couple weeks ago and it is so nice to be able to get a fire going in the house when we go down to work on it. No more frosty fingers fumbling with tools for us!

Now if we could just finish the grout on the slate wall behind the stove... so many projects!

Dy said...

urban mom, it's currently 35 outside, supposed to be a low of 32 (it was down to 28 last night!) - so this is hea-ven-ly! Do wish we got snow, though. I miss snow.

Amber, YAY you guys! I need to go check on the house blog. Matt closed comments on his other one, but tell him I loved the long dark coffee time... that cracked me up!

Laura said...

How lovely! And the wood stove is beautiful!

We have gas heat, which works very well, but I hate the bills. So we keep the thermostat on 60 or even 58 in the winter and try to supplement with the fireplace.

I want a wood stove!

Dy said...

Laura, we have LP heat, which is really quite nice. It's just SO pricey, even leaving the temps at 58 or 60. Last winter we didn't lock in our rate and were paying $4.86/gal for propane - that hurt. Hopefully, this will offset the cost. We just had the tank filled today - it'll be interesting to see how long it lasts us this winter!

Jenni said...

Doh! I finally understand the whole woodstove base thing. I was picturing the brick perimeter being larger than the...whatever that black board is. I kept thinking about what a pain it would be to clean that spot and how all the dust bunnies would gather there to stay warm. I'm the type that needs pictures. Me no understand you big words.

Anonymous said...

Wow, now your forever home is all warm and toasty. And to be able to put the kettle or cookies on to bake, super!!! Great job on it! Blessings...

momanna98 said...

Wow, how awesome! I'm so jealous! That will be my goal for next year. :-)