Wood Stove

I have 2 words to say - wood stove.

Being historic home enthusiasts, many of my readers already have wood stoves and are enjoying the benefits of heating without the use of fossil fuels. This makes political sense and economical sense. We installed a Jotul wood stove this year and my family could not be happier. We are not yet deep into winter, but our goal is not to use our oil furnace at all. Nada! That means the several common rooms that benefit from the stove will be comfortable, while the upstairs bedrooms will remain chilly (perfect for sleeping). The last several weeks have been into the 30’s and our stove has risen to the task. We have also seen a change in our family behavior. We spend more time together around the stove in the evening, instead of in our private rooms. This is “living in the past” at its best. Looking beyond the lap top computers and the television, I can see my colonial family in front of the warm hearth - sewing & reading, and lovingly sharing the evening hours before bed.

This stove is one of the steps that my family has taken in our renewed efforts to tread more gently on the earth. The stove has evolved from its origins in the 18th century and is now quite efficient including catalytic filtering to reduce pollution. I would love your comments on this or any other vintage propositions. I am aware of other traditions and methods that have been lost to history that can benefit us today, but I would also be interested to learn more. In a global economic collapse (we must save money) and with an endangered environment (we must save the earth), there are lessons that we can learn from those that came before that can be healthy altrnatives and make alot of sense today.