Today Was the Toughest Day of All

Kitty prepares Coffee after plugging in the solar panel

Wow, the temperature snapped back! Only a couple of days ago I was in shorts breaking a sweat sitting still in the shade...

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This morning upon waking I saw my breath, felt the bite, grabbed my synthetic dry wick artificial down warmth accelerant and zipped up until nature's next, hopefully sun drenched, snooze alarm gently persuades me to reopen my eyes.

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No luck! As I went downstairs from the loft hurriedly putting on a sweatshirt and jumped into my sneaks to prevent my feet from contact with the cold floor. According to the suction cupped exterior window gauge it was only 31 degrees outside, give or take a few from being inside the screen and thermal contact, with a balmy 40

Windburn on shaven face is something not soon forgotten

degrees inside my humble abode.

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With bladder constricted and hands frozen stiff I contemplated the painful burn of the dry wind freezing my supple skin, as I had shaven off all my protection and trimmed my halo in last weeks sweaty mess of global warming declarations from meteorologists and carbon tax proponents.

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Out the door, under the tarp, and back in to load the wood-stove, almost as quickly as the time it took for my neighbors 2 bunnies to become great great grandparents of a family of over twenty plus, I began to pull out the ash with my bent poker in furious fashion. Upon the foul screech of metal to metal, roosters in the backdrop, and a semblance of pea soup shown in the blinding rays of light through the window, with a torch of propane I began forcing a fast burn.

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Screaming sirens from a Big Buddy is mans other best friend

Over my left shoulder my friend, my pal, my Big Buddy heater softly sang to me like a sirens call until I caved in, leaving the land of frugality, and cranking it to the max position. I held tight 'til they began to fully scream.

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Finally we've hit 70! the magic number of beginning to charge the insulation with warmth as the heat slowly works its way around the room and the hot air that has risen and cooled on contact with the ceiling slowly begins to accumulate downwards towards the floor.

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With fingers thawing I step back from the stove and rinse off my stainless steel cup and clamp the alligator clip from the solar charge controller to my battery. Coffee is on its way to warming my core.

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Post vitamin shot, I chased down 20 ounces of caffeinated goodness to start the day off with a bang, but... Alas! Nature calls again as I hear grumbles and gurgles and feel a rippling of activity in my loin.

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The warmer the room the easier it is to feel a draft of cool air

With that now behind, hee hee, and freshly cleaned hands I remove my coat to a comfortable 80 degrees.

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"I am ready to start my day!", I thought to myself.

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As I sat down and started my computer I sank back into my seat and wondered what to write I felt a chill. The fire is low and the fuel is depleted from its fast start. I continue to sit as the sun goes behind clouds and I watch the thermometer drop one, two, then three degrees.

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I am now ending this story as I need to put on a jacket to get some wood. At least the insulation is now charged and any heat created will now accumulate, save for a draft or two, so a full stove with vents barely cracked should last me for almost 8 hours.

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Any temp below 80 is good for coffee and a coat in my book

Looks like my work day is almost done...

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I'm back, the wood's in, and it's 75 degrees with two windows opened about an inch and a half for the next ten minutes or so to lose a lil' stale air. Did I mention my "firewood" is merely sticks and twigs that fall to the ground naturally?

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Hey, I can share my good fortune with the right people as there may be room for a few other that are looking to live "the hard life".

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When I'm hungry I eat and when I'm tired I sleep. What more could anyone need?

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Interested? Let me know in the comments below :)

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