Not enough wood for the winter!

It seems as though I have come to a point where I have no choice but to acknowledge what I suspected might be true all along - I need more wood. I was told two stories at the start of this winter, from which I drew my own conclusions - one being that two cords was enough to last all winter, and the other being that two cords was enough to last from January through the end of winter. Both stories are probably right depending on who you ask, but I have people over frequently enough and enjoy a warm house enough to fall into the latter category. Unfortunately, i bought two cords to last all winter, considering myself more frugal and less invested in creaturely comforts than it turns out I actually am.

This means that it's time to either buy in another cord of wood, or seriously ration my wood use. I think you can sense the direction in which I am leaning. The only annoying part of buying anther cord will be stacking it - a 3 hour endeavor which isn't too much fun when it's nice out, let alone when it's cold. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of stacking 128 cubic feet of hardwood, suffice it to say that it's a job made especially for burly men and sturdy farm women, and I have much to aspire to before becoming either of those.

I think I realized it at the time, but it behooves me now to inform my formerly frugal self that wood is cheaper in early autumn. It follows that the smart thing to do would have been to err on the side of buying too much wood, just in case this happened.

My dearest readers, what you can learn from my mistake is to buy and/or split 3 cords of wood, not 2, for winter - especially one as cold and full of house guests as this one is proving to be. If you don't use all the wood it will not rot (unless you dig it underground or just leave it in a pile to rot), and you will be more likely to burn early autumn fires during those early cold days when most of us are too cheap to start up the stove - not a bad thing by far. Plus, when you think about how much money you save by heating with wood rather than oil, I think you will agree with me.


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A quick, personal PS:

I am looking for a roommate. Since there are quite a few of you who read this blog, please let your friends know. It's a beautiful place I live in, though work has a tendency to be scarce. Maybe you have some independently wealthy friends, or friends who go to Bard college (which is nearby), or friends who want to farm, or who are really set on relocating, or who are willing to live cheap and work/trade for rent that you could tip off? Leaving a comment would be a great way to initiate contact. There is a potential for work-trade for some or all of rent/heat costs. I would really appreciate it!