A Cozy Cabin

A northerly gale blows at least 30 knots outside, dropping the feel of the current high 30s to low 40s temperature. Still, I’m writing this in my pajamas. I’ve kicked off my customary shearling house moccasins to sit barefoot, I’ve gotten so warm. It’s cold outside, but inside our cozy cabin, we’re more than warm enough.

Our little log cabin’s walls average 8 or more inches thick. These logs are somewhat slow to heat if they get cold, but once they warm, they hold the heat well. Since we live here constantly, the logs seldom cool off completely. The house felt comfortably cool this morning, having held the heat of last evening’s woodstove fire; a fire this morning has brought the temperature up to 72° in less than an hour. That’s warmer than we kept the thermostat in our electrically-heated home in Juneau.

At the beginning of woodstove season, I’m often reluctant to begin using the firewood we’ve so diligently stored up during the summer, but this year I may even be going overboard. Generally, I’ll start a fire when I get up in the morning, and allow it to die after feeding it once or twice. In the evening, I’ll start a second fire, that’ll warm the house before bed. Lately, as it gets colder, I sometimes burn the stove throughout the day, even though it hasn’t really gotten that cold yet. This is partly because I’m doing a lot of work at the computer lately, rather than getting outside and working. The sedentary life unfortunately requires more heat, not to mention more snacks . . . .

I’m hoping to change that soon. I may soon see the end to the work I’m doing, and get back to a more “outdoorsy” lifestyle. Soon enough, we’ll be moving inside for the winter.

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