HOT!

We went out this afternoon to get mail, talk to the bank, see how one of the ladies there is doing (she's pregnant), drop off a drill we borrowed, and come home.

The wood burner had been going this whole time (which is a good thing since we want to be warm this winter) and when we came home, it was hot in here!  It had to have been at least 80* inside this house.  That made me very happy over the prospect of staying warm this winter.  Granted the outside temp was in the upper 60s to low 70s.  But still, knowing how warm it was in here after we came home lessens my concern over winter heat. 

At the bank, there was a gentleman who was saying he wishes he could heat with wood heat and nothing else, but his wife flat out refuses and they use propane.  ($$$ouch$$$)  I had mentioned we use only wood and he said "You're lucky!"  There was an older lady behind me who had said she uses wood only as well.  It seems around here, people are either wood or propane.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of electric heat or gas heat. 

Speaking of electric, the neighbors that moved in a couple of months ago are going to get electric on their property.  I wish them luck with that.  It is not going to be cheap to get it done.  It's not the electric company that pays to have the lines run to the properties around here.  If you want it, you have to pay for it.  Then you get the pleasure of paying the monthly electric bill.  This is not the reason we are not having electric run to our home.  Even if we could afford the expense, we just plain don't want it.  Why pay someone else for something we can provide for ourselves?  A two month winter electric bill in Indiana gets us a windmill which will provide us with electricity for as long as there is a breeze.  If there is no breeze, what is not used is stored in batteries for us to tap into.  Plus, we still have the solar panels which cost us the equivalent of a fall electric bill.

Tonight, being Thursday, we had dinner with D and it was his turn to provide the meal and he made this delicious stew with a spicy sausage, lots of veggies, and brown rice.  It was good.  I had two bowls and was stuffed, yet had to resist a third just because it tasted so good.

Next week is my turn and I am debating between a chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans, chicken and dumplings, chili, or some other thing.  I'll probably make chili.  It's the season for it.  Maybe I'll make white chili.  Or corn chowder.  Or potato soup.

Ok.  I gotta stop.  I need to get some sewing done, feed the fire, and get some sleep.  The chicken coop is getting done tomorrow.