$0 firewood. Gotta love a wood stove!

Glad to hear it! We adopted Oscar and Jasper from the local humane society about this time last year, and adopted little Cora about a month ago. She is the SEVENTH cat we’ve adopted from the humane society since 1997 (Diamond, Wendecka, Xylophone, Anise, and now Oscar Jasper and Cora). They’ve all been generic domestic shorthairs, and have all been amazing, beautiful, unique, long-lived (18, 13, 18, 19 respectively - the new three are all still under two), healthy, incredible cats!

Having played the local mutt lottery seven times now - and won the jackpot each time - I can honestly say I would never get a cat anywhere else. Not any purebred or anything at all. So glad more folks are adopting from local places like this!

Okay … I would like to get a pair of bengals some day.

Might be better that way.

Warden’s Watch Podcast with former NH Game Warden Wayne Saunders (awesome podcast) did a multiple part series on the Kate Matrosova tragedy. Well worth a listen.

Something to encourage you:

My house was built in 1790, post and beam, renovated in the 80s, but still not super modern. We have a wood stove in the living room, and a couple of fans to move warmer air to the bedrooms. Works fantastic all winter - all the heat we want and it’s free.

The cellar walls are stone (fitted loosely together - no mortar or anything. Like I said, 1790), and the floor is dirt. Anyway, heating with only wood for the past ten years. In all that time, I have never, not once, seen the cellar go below 45 degrees. I have a remote thermometer down there that sends its data to a station in the living room. Temp outside could be -5. The cellar is 45, and the living room is 80. It’s fantastic.

Good friend of mine is a lineman for EverSource. He’s out there for long hours in the worst of it every time. We make it a point to pray for him to get home safely to his family. Take your time, follow the safety rules, wear your gear, do it right. Sit in the truck to warm up whenever you need to. Those guys are a different breed.

I always figured that if you were a good meteorologist, or enjoyed a challenge, you would want to work in New England. If you sucked, or were lazy, move somewhere like California.