I'd make a lousy frontier-woman

Even though I enjoy camping in the summer time, I've come to the conclusion this winter that I'd make a really bad frontier woman.

We're heating our house mainly with wood this year, using a wood stove in our living room fireplace. With gas prices so high, we decided to use wood for heat, til our pile runs out. It keeps our house plenty comfy, and sometimes it's downright toasty.

That is, as long as I'm not in charge of the stove. When my husband's around, he keeps the fire going beautifully. He knows just when to add logs and how to turn the knobs to keep it going.

When he's not home, and it's up to me to keep it going. I almost always forget about it and the fire goes out completely.

So today I decided I'm going to keep it going. I'm on a mission. I've stoked and added wood twice since my husband left the house, turned the valves just so, while the new logs got going, and then closed the door and turned the valves the other way once the fire was roaring. I'm learning that this wood stove thing is a fine art.

Of course it would be fine if that was all I had to do; I could probably manage. I'm also taking care of our son and getting the house ready for company.

As I was switching laundry to the dryer a few minutes ago, I was thinking what it must have been like to be a frontier wife and mom. You'd keep the fire going while your husband was out hunting or whatever, with no Barney and no TV to distract your toddler while you make lunch and clean up around the house. You'd be scrubbing your clothes by hand and hanging them all over the place to dry. You'd be washing all your dishes by hand, and probably making your own clothes and blankets by hand.

I bet I wouldn't last a day.

With a dishwasher, a washer, dryer, microwave, TV, etc, I sure as hell should be able to keep this freaking fire going.

Let's hope I don't burn down the house in the process!

Comments

[Melody]

Yes, you really do have to admire those women of yester-year. Probably even our own mothers, let alone our grandmothers. Somedays I wuldn't know where I'd be without my washing machine, my dyer, microwave, reverse-cycle air conditioning, dishwasher...

[rashbre]

Sitting looking at the fire here too, but its one of those fake ones where you turn a control and it stops.

Here tonight via Michele's.

rashbre

[Barbara]

I hear you Marie! I'm happy to have all the modern comforts, especially Roadrunner.

[Marie]

Melody,
Oh yeah... I need my air-conditioning too!!

Rashbre,
Hey, if it keeps you warm, it's a good thing!

Barbara,
Ohh... high-speed Internet access. Gotta have that!

[Uisce]

We had a bad winter storm almost 10 years ago that knocked out the power for three days and we were living off of the living room fireplace heat, stuck in that one room the whole family... uggh, count me out of the frontier, too!

[old horsetail snake]

When I was a kid, Mom would hang the sheets outside even in winter. Then they would freeze up like a board. It was fun carrying them into the house like cordwood.

[old horsetail snake]

P.S. Forgot to tell you: I'm here from Michele's place.

[Carolyn]

It's the same here with the woodstove, Marie. I'm often scrambling to restart the fire just before hubs gets home. And the splinters in my fingers-- owwww!

Here from Michele's :)

[Andrea]

I couldn't stand camping. I'd make a lousy frontier woman all the way around!

Here via Michele's

[Elle]

My 80 year old grandmother still carries wood and uses her woodburner. Apparently the frontier genes faded out somewhere between her and me.