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The Many Uses of our Wonderful Wood Stove

12/23/2015

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Our instructions on how to cook with a wood stove continues to be one of the most visited pages on our website. With this in mind, we've added a main wood stove page, which brings together all the information we've previously had about our wood stove into one place, and have added more key information if you're thinking of getting your own:
  • the many uses of a wood stove (heating, cooking, drying laundry, dehydrating food, helping bread rise, etc.)
  • how to build a fire
  • how to make your own firestarters
  • buying & storing wood
  • an easier and safer way to chop kindling
  • how to clean a chimney
  • wood stove accessories
  • tips for buying a wood stove
All this information is here:
Our Wood Stove

May we all be warm this Winter!

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The Hawk in the Bird Condo

12/19/2015

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Even in a tiny yard, you can get some big wildlife. Theresa had just gotten up from the computer to warm her hands at the woodstove when she saw a flash outside the bay window that her brain interpreted as a hawk chasing a small bird. She looked out the back door in case she could actually see what was going on, and found a hawk perched on our brush pile.

We estimate there were between 50 and 100 song birds in the pile at the time. The hawk was obviously looking for dinner, but was too big to make it further into the pile to get at his prey. After a few minutes, four or five birds took off and the hawk was after them in a flash, and was quickly out of our sight. A couple more minutes went by and the smaller birds left the brush pile in two waves, dozens of them rising up together. Others stayed put.

It makes you wonder- were the first few birds that left putting themselves in harm's way to protect the rest of the flock?

We were surprised when the hawk came back a few minutes later- his chase must not have been successful. Perhaps our brush pile has been his hunting ground recently and we haven't noticed. We decided to go outside, in an attempt to get better pictures, and to encourage the hawk to leave. We don't want him to feast regularly at our backyard smorgasbord. We also thought about seeing what would happen if we threw him some meat from the fridge (Bear wondered about mice in the basement), but decided we shouldn't...

Below are some fuzzy close ups of the hawk. Maybe a red-tail?

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Needless to say, brush piles like these provide a lot of good cover for small wildlife. If you'd like to have one in your own yard, click to see more about our Accidental Brush Pile and Gardening for Wildlife.​

Hope you're having some great wildlife sightings in your own yard,
Theresa & Bear
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Alternative Winter Holiday Celebrations

12/12/2014

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In 2011 (above) I did not have to worry
about not getting enough snow.

In Dec. of 2014 (below)
the front yard is still brown.
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It doesn't quite seem like Winter to me yet, because we've gotten very little snow, and the outdoors is still mostly brown and grey, like Fall, instead of white like Winter. But it seems unlikely that this will continue for too long. Other people hope for snow by Christmas, but I am hoping it will be here by the Solstice, which this year is on Sunday, Dec. 21st. It's the longest night of the year, an astronomical event that everyone can celebrate. We have our own special traditions.

If you're looking for a different way to enjoy the season this year, that doesn't focus around gifts under a tree, see how we celebrate the Solstice on our Celebrate Winter page. It also includes my thoughts on connecting with and enjoying Winter, which will explain why I am looking forward to getting more snow.

Happy 
Winter Solstice 
Everyone!

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Proof that Spring is Coming

2/22/2014

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It seems like Spring will never come, but here's proof that it can't be too far away. 
 As the Sun rises farther and farther to the East, the days lengthen and get warmer.  
This really is happening.  Here's how it looks from our back door:

Winter Solstice Sunrise Location, Dec. 21st:

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On the shortest day of the year (Winter Soltice),
 the Sun rises to the right of the pine tree's trunk (closer to the South).

Sunrise Location Today, Feb. 22, 2014:

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The Sunrise is much farther to the East of the pine tree.
The days are getting longer and warmth can't be too far behind!

Soon the snow will melt 
and there will be early Spring flowers!

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Delicate hepatica blossoms are the first to bloom in our yard (above).  
Next is the blood root (Sanguinaria canadensis, below).  Both are native Wisconsin plants.  
The bees appreciate them as much as we do after a long Winter!
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Hang in there- Spring is coming.

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Connecting with Mid-Winter

2/3/2014

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Our Imbolc altar gives us a little of the light we're craving in the remaining darkness of Winter.
We've added a section to our Celebrate pages about Connecting with Mid-Winter. 

We're  craving sunlight and suffering from cabin fever, but still trying to enjoy the remaining beauty of Winter by celebrating the Celtic festival of Imbolc.



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Buy Nothing Challenge:  Wet Underwear -or- Our Dryer Broke

1/18/2014

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In week 2 of our Buy Nothing challenge, our dryer broke, so it was time to figure out how to dry clothes the old school way, with our wood stove.  See how we improvised and built a clothing rack with stuff from around the house, and how we ended up "fixing" the dryer by making it multitask:

Alternative Ways to Dry Laundry in Winter

(If the link doesn't work, see: http://www.ourtinyhomestead.com/laundry.html)
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