My love for winter comes from deep within. I love to reminise on the memories of being outside for hours at a time during my youth. What I mostly remember about the season is the feeling, the smell, the visual appeal, and my dutch rosie cheeks.
My heart feels like it's going to burst when the snow falls in thick waves. For some reason, dusk in the winter has this incredible hold on me. The still silence, with only the wind whistling through the bare and evergreen trees. The dusk snowfall. If you're still enough you can hear it coming down. This time of year is serious. It's survival of the fittest with the animals, and survivial of emotions with humans.
If I could disappear into the wildnerness for all of winter and the preparation with autumn, I would be so happy. Being in the cabin feels like I'm in the wilderness, and I am. It almost feels like being in the womb again. In this insulated warm womb. Except, I can peer outside and see slow life going on around me. Slow life like seeing the winter birds feeding at my suet.. perhaps I'm making them dependant on my offerings. Slow life like an oak leaf hanging on to it's branch. Slow life like hibernating animals and slow heart beats.
My senses come into full swing when a thought of winter crosses my mind. The smell of fresh snow, and of fresh air. The air smells clean. Deep breaths of cold freeze your nostrils, pain your lungs, or make them stronger. It's the deep breath of winter air that feels like a renewal for the new and changing seasons ahead. A fresh start internally.
The low winter sun rises in the morning and the flakes on the ground shine like crystals. You've never seen anything so true to colour. Sometimes it can be blinding. The low winter sun shines through me like no other time of year. It fills my heart and brings me happiness. My body needs that sunlight and reacts more intensely because of the lack of sun I receive during winter. There seems to be nothing more beautiful in winter when we receive a snowfall overnight and you wake up to pine, spruce and cedar boughs weighed down with the heaviness of snow. Reminds me of being in Algonquin Park for a winter hike with the proposal of marriage from my husband. You could hardly make it through the trail the boughs were weighed down so much.
Lakes, ponds, rivers and creeks freeze. We tie up our skates and hit the ice. Hard, cold ice. Nothing is more fantastic than spending a day outside with friends and family with a warm fire, hot drinks, a toboggan down the hill, and rosie cheeks. A visit to the waterfall on my husband's family property is a very spiritual experience any time of year, but I love having a fire there when the water is frozen. I love the snap of dead cedar branches and the quick warmth they give by burning fast. Light wood. Blocked by the gusts of wind coming off the hills in the fields, the waterfall in the cedar woods is a sight and experience.
The first Christmas that my husband and I were together, he made me a wood duck box. Every year, we hike out to the creek where the home is with fresh wood shavings and change the bedding in the box. It's such a wonderful task. How happy those ducks must be when they return in the spring to find their beds have been made and their sheets are clean. Winter's exciting what with the new activities I've been introduced to, or the confidence I have being outside for long periods of time. Being prepared and warm enough. That can make or break you.
North is the direction of winter. That Northern pull. It's in my blood and in my spirit. I love you old North.
Cobi Sharpe
Friday, November 25, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
New Autumn
Autumn came fast at the T.S. B and I returned from our honeymoon in Europe just in time to see the Autumn colours. It was spectacular.
We have been working very hard since our return. We built a new addition, insulated the floor with spray foam, blocked all of the soffits so that we don't have the noisy starlings getting into the attic, we purchased and installed a new Pacific Energy super efficient wood stove, installed a new chimney and piping. We have put plastic over the windows, spray foamed drafty areas and put gaskets over the electrical outlets. We have packed all of our belongings into plastic storage bins and moved them into the new addition. We have hooked a rain barrel up inside on the top floor because the outside line from the barrel is starting to freeze. B's dad dug us a pond a little closer, so we might be able to pump water from the pond into the barrel on the top floor, rather than hauling it from the house in a barrel with the tractor and then pumping it inside. Let's hope we've dug deep enough that the pond won't completely freeze. Having that water access closer would be a life saver.
We had moved out for 2 weeks during the deer hunt, and are now back with a new layout and a decorated Christmas tree - our living Norfolk Pine!
I am really looking forward to winter, although it seems pretty slow coming. Temperatures have been abnormally high this time of year. We haven't even had an 'official' snow fall yet. To me, that means 2 cm's falling to the ground. We had a light dusting last week, but that's about it.
We are very warm and cozy in the T.S. right now. We think there is enough wood to last us all winter. I hope!
We are extending our family at the end of December. We are welcoming Pickles, a chocolate point Siamese cat. We're hoping she'll be a great mouser, because we have a mouse problem! I am very uncomfortable with the idea of poison, and we've been wanting a pet for a while. She's going to fit in perfectly with us.
Aside from all of that, we have attended a workshop on being your own general contractor for straw bale buildings. It was very informative, and the information will be useful when the time comes for B and I to put our building plans into action.
Before the depth of winter, we are meeting with the conservation authority to see if there are any issues with installing a culvert on our property to allow us to build in our dream location. If there is an issue, we'll have to think long and hard whether we want to build so close to the road. We also have to have the local excavating company in to give us a quote on our options for a driveway. If all goes well, and we are allowed to put a drive back to our dream location and it isn't going to cost us too much money, then we'll start putting a floorplan together for our home. I have made dozens of these.. I guess it's just finding the right one to suit our needs.
The first lighting!
Building the addition
The new layout
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Winterizing
Well, we're married and back from our extravagant honeymoon, and just in time to see the autumn colours.
Since I've been home, I've had these wonderful feelings of winter come over me. The thought of standing outside at dusk, in the still air listening to thick flakes of snow cover the ground. If you listen close enough you can actually hear it. I was thinking about fast moving southern wind coming up the farm hills and hammering our little TS's poor single paned windows. And then felt comfort in imagining the warmth of a wood stove blazing away inside. And B, Pickles and I all cozy warm.
If you don't know me, then you should know that I absolutely love winter. It is my favourite season. I love so many things about it. In fact, just thinking about it makes my heart ache. It's almost unbearable some times.
I love the farm, the land, the history, the people who live on it.
B and I spent some time at the camp last winter over Christmas time. It was a very special time, because that is when he proposed to me. Not at the camp, but during the time we spent there. We has such a great time there, that I can't wait to spend a whole winter up there!
I have comfort in knowing that we have 4.5 cords of wood split and stacked, I have comfort in knowing that our floor is going to be insulated tomorrow with spray foam insulation, and I have comfort in knowing that we've just purchased a new super efficient Pacific Energy wood stove for the TS. That should burn for a longer period of time.
We had planned a cider pressing party for this weekend, but are building an 8x8 addition instead. It will be nice to have a little more storage space and a spot to put wood that is closer to the TS.
While we were on our honeymoon, we had come up with plans to re-arrange the layout. Currently, half of the upstairs isn't being used, because it's storage so once it's moved out into the addition, then we are going to make a lounge up there with our bedroom, and allow more space on the main floor.
It's all very exciting and I will post photos after this weekend of the new stove, and the addition being built. And, if it's cold enough we'll light the first fire in the stove for a visit from our great friend Melissa!
Since I've been home, I've had these wonderful feelings of winter come over me. The thought of standing outside at dusk, in the still air listening to thick flakes of snow cover the ground. If you listen close enough you can actually hear it. I was thinking about fast moving southern wind coming up the farm hills and hammering our little TS's poor single paned windows. And then felt comfort in imagining the warmth of a wood stove blazing away inside. And B, Pickles and I all cozy warm.
If you don't know me, then you should know that I absolutely love winter. It is my favourite season. I love so many things about it. In fact, just thinking about it makes my heart ache. It's almost unbearable some times.
I love the farm, the land, the history, the people who live on it.
B and I spent some time at the camp last winter over Christmas time. It was a very special time, because that is when he proposed to me. Not at the camp, but during the time we spent there. We has such a great time there, that I can't wait to spend a whole winter up there!
I have comfort in knowing that we have 4.5 cords of wood split and stacked, I have comfort in knowing that our floor is going to be insulated tomorrow with spray foam insulation, and I have comfort in knowing that we've just purchased a new super efficient Pacific Energy wood stove for the TS. That should burn for a longer period of time.
We had planned a cider pressing party for this weekend, but are building an 8x8 addition instead. It will be nice to have a little more storage space and a spot to put wood that is closer to the TS.
While we were on our honeymoon, we had come up with plans to re-arrange the layout. Currently, half of the upstairs isn't being used, because it's storage so once it's moved out into the addition, then we are going to make a lounge up there with our bedroom, and allow more space on the main floor.
It's all very exciting and I will post photos after this weekend of the new stove, and the addition being built. And, if it's cold enough we'll light the first fire in the stove for a visit from our great friend Melissa!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I Don't Mind Choppin' Wood
Our delivery arrived right on schedule! B spent a couple of days cutting it all with the chainsaw, and then we borrowed B's dad's wood splitter, and have been doing that. He splits, I stack.
My first wood pile!
And... glad I have a man who can cook!
Lately, we've been discussing how to insulate the floor before winter. We're going to be away on our honeymoon for a month, so these decisions have to be made.
I'm suggesting to spray foam the whole thing, although it is our most expensive option. If it's too expensive, then styrofoam boards and we'll have to but a vapour barrier; maybe tyvek.
I'm not putting too much thought into it now because we're getting married in 5 weeks and it's all about that at the moment!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Just Gettin' On
While it seems that summer is just getting started and you're all thinking about summer vacations, B and I are actually planning for winter already!
We have half a load of hardwood logs being delivered to the TS (temporary shelter) this week. B and I need to cut, split and stack that wood if we want to make it in the TS this winter. We're getting about 4 cord of logs.
Along with cutting, splitting and stacking our wood for the winter, we're also doing work around my folks' house to prepare for our wedding in August.
In order to get the logs delivered up to the TS, we've had to clear a spot out of the rock wall, to create a different route. It's amazing to think that it took people weeks, maybe even years to take all of the rock out of the field and pile them into a wall, and it only took about an hour for us to undo their work with the backhoe.
B put a clothesline up for us.
The garden has been doing quite well and we've really been enjoying our fresh greens, and spring onions. We arrived home from our backcountry camping trip to a garden that's now finally producing peas and little green tomatoes!
We just love our little garden!
I did a little re-model of our living room. This is now my favourite corner of the TS!
The township is re-paving our road, so we've convinced them to put in a residential entrance for us on our lot. Can't take a photo because it's in heavy construction, but I will when it's all completed.
Exciting times out at the TS.
We have half a load of hardwood logs being delivered to the TS (temporary shelter) this week. B and I need to cut, split and stack that wood if we want to make it in the TS this winter. We're getting about 4 cord of logs.
Along with cutting, splitting and stacking our wood for the winter, we're also doing work around my folks' house to prepare for our wedding in August.
In order to get the logs delivered up to the TS, we've had to clear a spot out of the rock wall, to create a different route. It's amazing to think that it took people weeks, maybe even years to take all of the rock out of the field and pile them into a wall, and it only took about an hour for us to undo their work with the backhoe.
B put a clothesline up for us.
The garden has been doing quite well and we've really been enjoying our fresh greens, and spring onions. We arrived home from our backcountry camping trip to a garden that's now finally producing peas and little green tomatoes!
Basil, Purple Kale and Lettuce
Tomatoes!
Our Tomato Plants
Zucchini
Peas!
Our Salad Greens
Basil
I did a little re-model of our living room. This is now my favourite corner of the TS!
The township is re-paving our road, so we've convinced them to put in a residential entrance for us on our lot. Can't take a photo because it's in heavy construction, but I will when it's all completed.
Exciting times out at the TS.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Livin' the Dream
It's been a while since my last update. Not much has happened, really.
We've been harvesting green onions and leaf lettuce and arugula from our garden. We've dealt with 3 mice, hundreds of ants, 2 disgustingly large spiders, mosquitos and starlings in the soffits and waking us up at 6am.
We've been dealing with pests. B screened in the windows, so we can now open them and feel the amazing breeze that comes up the hill and right into our TS (temporary shelter).
The next thing on my list of things to do is to caulk to whole bloody TS, so that ants and other insects can't get in. It will also be a must if we plan on roughing it up there during the winter.
We still need to insulate the floor of the TS, which we will get to, but we've been so busy with wedding plans and honeymoon plans that we just haven't had the chance.
Where would we have found the time to debark and split 10 cord of cedar for a cordwood house? I am so glad we've decided to build straw bale!
Plans for the house have been put on hold because of the wedding and honeymoon. We need to get our site planned and permitted, a floor and design plan of our house stamped for approval by an engineer (haven't even really started with the design planning). We need all of that to happen by next spring, so that we can put a driveway in and a slab on grade foundation.
That's probably all we will be able to do next year. The strawbale building will happen in the spring of 2013. And finishing the interior will happen in 2014. I hope to move in with my wonderful husband in the fall of 2014.
We are really digging the Warburton's straw bale house in Orangeville, Ontario
But we'd like to put a purple steel roof on, and the exterior walls will be a beeswax colour. Very similiar if not the same as the exterior walls in this photo.
We've been harvesting green onions and leaf lettuce and arugula from our garden. We've dealt with 3 mice, hundreds of ants, 2 disgustingly large spiders, mosquitos and starlings in the soffits and waking us up at 6am.
We've been dealing with pests. B screened in the windows, so we can now open them and feel the amazing breeze that comes up the hill and right into our TS (temporary shelter).
The next thing on my list of things to do is to caulk to whole bloody TS, so that ants and other insects can't get in. It will also be a must if we plan on roughing it up there during the winter.
We still need to insulate the floor of the TS, which we will get to, but we've been so busy with wedding plans and honeymoon plans that we just haven't had the chance.
Where would we have found the time to debark and split 10 cord of cedar for a cordwood house? I am so glad we've decided to build straw bale!
Plans for the house have been put on hold because of the wedding and honeymoon. We need to get our site planned and permitted, a floor and design plan of our house stamped for approval by an engineer (haven't even really started with the design planning). We need all of that to happen by next spring, so that we can put a driveway in and a slab on grade foundation.
That's probably all we will be able to do next year. The strawbale building will happen in the spring of 2013. And finishing the interior will happen in 2014. I hope to move in with my wonderful husband in the fall of 2014.
We are really digging the Warburton's straw bale house in Orangeville, Ontario
But we'd like to put a purple steel roof on, and the exterior walls will be a beeswax colour. Very similiar if not the same as the exterior walls in this photo.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Buzz...
I already hate the fact that I have to get up in the middle of the night to relieve myself, but last night was something else, I'll tell you.
4:00am, and I sneak out for a moment, and come back into the TS and crawl into my warm covers next to B and hear "buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz". Mosquitos! There was so much buzzing around my head, that I couldn't tell if it was in my head or if there was actually a mosquito flying about my head. I swatted a few times into the air, but that didn't help.
Eventually, I went down stairs to sleep on the couch thinking that they were only upstairs but before I even settled on the couch I heard more buzzing. I turned the light on and spent the next 30 minutes or so killing mosquito after mosquito after mosquito.
Quite the deal. I went back up to bed and threw the sheets over my head. Damned things!
How did B fair? They didn't bother him. They wanted my blood.
We're camping this weekend and I know that I'll be battling black flies and mosquitos. Thank goodness for bug jackets!
4:00am, and I sneak out for a moment, and come back into the TS and crawl into my warm covers next to B and hear "buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz". Mosquitos! There was so much buzzing around my head, that I couldn't tell if it was in my head or if there was actually a mosquito flying about my head. I swatted a few times into the air, but that didn't help.
Eventually, I went down stairs to sleep on the couch thinking that they were only upstairs but before I even settled on the couch I heard more buzzing. I turned the light on and spent the next 30 minutes or so killing mosquito after mosquito after mosquito.
Quite the deal. I went back up to bed and threw the sheets over my head. Damned things!
How did B fair? They didn't bother him. They wanted my blood.
We're camping this weekend and I know that I'll be battling black flies and mosquitos. Thank goodness for bug jackets!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Second Thoughts
B and I are having second thoughts.... not about getting married, but about what materials we're going to use to build our house with.
We have calculated that we'll need to cut down almost 300 cedar trees in order to build a 1300 sq ft cordwood home. That's a lot! We'd be clear cutting quite a bit of our land. We're not so sure about doing that anymore.
Now we're thinking of building straw bale. With a straw bale home, we can get an R-value of 30-40, which is quite impressive for a wall!
Other issues we've been seeing with the cordwood, is making sure that our mortar mix is just right to ensure no cracking and therefore, no air leaks. The logs will expand and shrink naturally in the walls, and we would have to caulk up any leaks coming through. With the strawbale, there won't be any leaks and we feel that it might be a safer bet since we've got one shot at building our house. Sure it will cost us slightly more per square foot, but we think it will be worth it.
We do still want to build something out of cordwood, and it could be a studio on our property, or a cottage or cabin.
We are still going to document our progress and get really into it when we're ready to build.
The title and meaning of this blog has changed quite a bit, but the goal is still the same. We want to build a mortgage-free home. So, our blog is now called 'Building Our Love Nest... Mortgage-Free!', but the web address will have to remain the same.
I am sorry to those who have been following our blog specifically for cordwood purposes. It's not like we've done much anyway except move into the TS.
We have calculated that we'll need to cut down almost 300 cedar trees in order to build a 1300 sq ft cordwood home. That's a lot! We'd be clear cutting quite a bit of our land. We're not so sure about doing that anymore.
Now we're thinking of building straw bale. With a straw bale home, we can get an R-value of 30-40, which is quite impressive for a wall!
Other issues we've been seeing with the cordwood, is making sure that our mortar mix is just right to ensure no cracking and therefore, no air leaks. The logs will expand and shrink naturally in the walls, and we would have to caulk up any leaks coming through. With the strawbale, there won't be any leaks and we feel that it might be a safer bet since we've got one shot at building our house. Sure it will cost us slightly more per square foot, but we think it will be worth it.
We do still want to build something out of cordwood, and it could be a studio on our property, or a cottage or cabin.
We are still going to document our progress and get really into it when we're ready to build.
The title and meaning of this blog has changed quite a bit, but the goal is still the same. We want to build a mortgage-free home. So, our blog is now called 'Building Our Love Nest... Mortgage-Free!', but the web address will have to remain the same.
I am sorry to those who have been following our blog specifically for cordwood purposes. It's not like we've done much anyway except move into the TS.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Movin' into the TS
What an amazing weekend!
We're all unpacked and settled in the TS (temporary shelter). Since we've moved in we've heard countless barred owls, a loon, deafening spring peepers, we've seen downy woodpeckers, flickers, and all kinds of other birds that I'm working on identifying. We had 3 wild turkey's in our front yard on Sunday and Monday.
We've only had 2 visitors to the suet I've put out. A downy woodpecker and a blue jay.
We had a lot of work to do on Good Friday. We had to unpack, clean and work on a few things to make the TS livable until we can move into our cordwood home in a couple of years. One of the major things we did was to get some running water happening. Remember the photo of the barrel I posted earlier? Well, we pumped spring-fed pond water into the 576 litre barrel. So, now we have running water to do dishes and clean. Pretty convenient.
Having water is very convenient, and I must say that life in the TS is very comfortable. The only thing that isn't convenient is having to shower down at B's parents house, but it hasn't bothered me yet and their house isn't too far.
Along with getting the water hooked up, we also set a TV up. This TV is seriously old. There aren't any hookup's for a DVD player, so we had to take a trip into town to get an antenna connector and DVD connector. Now, we get 3 channels! Woohoo! And we can watch our music documentaries and other films.
Now that we're all moved in, Lily has been spending quite a lot of time with us up there!
We're all unpacked and settled in the TS (temporary shelter). Since we've moved in we've heard countless barred owls, a loon, deafening spring peepers, we've seen downy woodpeckers, flickers, and all kinds of other birds that I'm working on identifying. We had 3 wild turkey's in our front yard on Sunday and Monday.
We've only had 2 visitors to the suet I've put out. A downy woodpecker and a blue jay.
Suet and Six Guns Shootin' (target practice in the background)
We had a lot of work to do on Good Friday. We had to unpack, clean and work on a few things to make the TS livable until we can move into our cordwood home in a couple of years. One of the major things we did was to get some running water happening. Remember the photo of the barrel I posted earlier? Well, we pumped spring-fed pond water into the 576 litre barrel. So, now we have running water to do dishes and clean. Pretty convenient.
Getting pipe from the maple woods
Dragging the pipe from the pond to the TS
Spring-fed pond where we're getting our water supply from
Flowing water
Can't believe it!
Just pourin' into the sink!
Having water is very convenient, and I must say that life in the TS is very comfortable. The only thing that isn't convenient is having to shower down at B's parents house, but it hasn't bothered me yet and their house isn't too far.
Along with getting the water hooked up, we also set a TV up. This TV is seriously old. There aren't any hookup's for a DVD player, so we had to take a trip into town to get an antenna connector and DVD connector. Now, we get 3 channels! Woohoo! And we can watch our music documentaries and other films.
The TS from the water barrel
Belmont Lake in the background
Now that we're all moved in, Lily has been spending quite a lot of time with us up there!
A new home for our car Little Itty Bitty Betty Bumper Sticker
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