Finding Firewood For the Wood Stove

Axe and wood.
Image via Wikipedia

One of the most difficult things for me to do since moving to the northeast is finding firewood for my wood stove.  Actually finding it is not hard, but finding good wood – split nicely and seasoned – is what I’ve been having trouble with.

A couple years ago I called up a guy from a newspaper ad and he was happy to deliver a truckload for a reasonable price.  Once I began stacking it, I realized that the pieces were about as big around as tree trunks.  Fortunately I had a big wood stove, but still, some of the pieces were just too big.  I don’t use an axe so there was no way I’d be able to split them and lugging them was back-breaking.  I wasn’t too happy.

Now I’ve sold my old, mid-Moe stove and replaced it with a new Jotul that is quite small, but perfect for my little living room fireplace.  I definitely need decent size pieces of wood and not tree trunks.  But where to find good wood?  I asked the guy who came to fix my chimney and roof, but he didn’t know because he cuts his own.  That is usually the answer I would get from any guy I asked.  “I cut my own”.  Now, I can’t even imagine having a husband who would go out and cut all the firewood needed for a season himself, so any of you ladies out there who have a guy like that – be grateful!  But that didn’t help me.

Then I took a walk the other day and ended up passing by my neighbor’s house and they were – you guessed it – lugging wood that had been dumped at the edge of their yard.  So I asked where they got it and now I have ordered my own cord from Northern Lights Landscaping in Milford, NH.  I won’t be getting it for a few days, and then I’ll see how I like it, but the woman who took my order over the phone said it’s cut 14-16 inches which is perfect.

I guess the only advice I could give about finding firewood is to ask around (if you find people to ask!) or go with a company (such as landscaping) who has a reputation to uphold.  They will want you to be happy, even though the wood may cost more.

Now I am deciding where to stack it for easily bringing inside during the winter.  It’s a new place and this will be a first time winter, so it will be trial and error.  At least I’ll have some wood to burn.

White Flowers of the Bleeding Heart

white bleeding heart flowers
White Flowers of the Bleeding Heart

In all the time I lived in the northeastern U.S. as a kid, I don’t remember ever seeing a Bleeding Heart plant. I never saw them in Florida either – they probably can’t handle that heat.

They amaze me with their hanging stems that are full of heart-shaped flowers in either pink or white. The plant itself seems very delicate and the stems break easily, but it is a perennial and survives the long, cold winters to come back in Spring with it’s light green growth.

I planted a white Bleeding Heart next to the rental I lived in for three years and that is when I took the photo above. Unfortunately that plant only lived one year. The cat kept digging in that area and I think she killed it.

What I love about this shrub is that it will grow well in the shade, so I plan to add some pretty Bleeding hearts to my new yard which has a lot of shade out front.

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Buying A Foreclosure Means Work

glass slider with caution tape
Caution! The First Step is a Doozy

I recently bought a foreclosure house that was built in 1972 and it seems to have been neglected over the years.  It has also been empty for almost a year.  Thankfully that lowered the price to the point where the bank would give me a loan, but now I have to bring the place up to par and that is going to take a while and cost me some big bucks.

That seems to be the story with buying a foreclosure, but if you have to go with an FHA loan, you might have to put money into fixing things before you even own it. I had to get the back of the garage painted and have some electrical issues fixed with almost $1,000 of my own money before they would okay the loan. The door, seen in the picture, is my back slider. Since the steps were gone and there was a three foot drop, caution tape had to stay up with the door nailed shut, to satisfy the bank.

Now, I’d like a deck off the back so I can use the back door,  but my contractor is too busy to add one until November!   So it might be a while until I can “step out back”.

Although I now pay less to own a home than I did to rent a home, I will be forking out lots of money to make the place livable. I live in New England, where the cost of living is high and the price of houses has not seemed to go down much even with the big housing crisis in full swing. I looked at a few scary places in my price range and ended up being able to get this place which looks like a palace in comparison.

The inside of my house is in pretty good shape. The kitchen is updated and nice and big. The white cabinets and lots of windows, make it bright and sunny. It’s the best feature of the house although the floor is noticeably slanted.

The two big rooms upstairs are fantastic areas for my son to hang out, and my office is large (and still very cluttered) but sunny as well.

Water is an issue here. The living room has a water stain in the ceiling and the chimney and roof are in the process of being repaired. Every time it rains, I get water in the basement but I have someone scheduled to come fix that (hopefully). Until then, I throw towels down to soak it up. I’m also looking into adding gutters.

Another big issue is the siding on this place. It’s clapboard, which I call “crapboard” and it has not been taken care of and there are holes and lots of rotted placed all along the front of the house. It looks horrible and is probably harboring all kinds of creatures.

I new I’d have lots to fix when I moved in and I was prepared to spend money, but finding contractors to do the work I can’t do has been an issue.  It almost seems like no one needs the work around here.  Then yesterday I used a site called Service Magic and got some results.  I have two companies giving me estimates on new gutters, and a couple are coming for the siding.  Maybe I’ll find someone who needs the work and will do it in a timely manner!

So I spend most of my days looking for help and getting quotes and of course – working to pay for it all!

It took time and effort to get in here and it’s not time to relax yet, but it’s worth it, because I own a home.

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It’s Almost Fall, But I Am Planting To Beautify My New Yard

fence and rock garden
Trying to Beautify the Yard

Well, I am all moved into the new house and I’ve been busy trying my best to get the place fixed up. Some things I am doing myself, such as yard work and planting. I’ve already weeded and made a small garden in the rocks by the driveway and along the old fence which I decided to keep. At first I thought I might paint it, but I’m not sure, and that would be something that can wait anyway.

Fall is a great time to plant perennials so I’ve been checking out the local farms and stores for some to add to the yard. Tenney Farms (one of my favorite places) has a bunch of perennials that are overgrown and not so pretty, but I’ve picked up some good stuff in the past few weeks. I added a red rhododendron to the side yard and a couple of peonies (one is white) to the fence garden, along with tall, red daylilies and little stella d’oros (which I love too), and a white phlox.

I found a great looking Astilbe at the farm too and that is in the front near all the trees. I have a lot of shade in the front from the tall trees that line the road and the sunny, but small, back yard was full of blackberry bushes that I have been pulling out. Not fun!  I’ll keep the raspberries which are not in the way, and not as nasty.

I planted a red coneflower and yellow daisy back there which will grow among my veggies next spring. Fall is a good time to get ready for next years growing season so I feel like I am accomplishing something and in the Spring there will be at least some color in this yard.

The only plants worth much that are already here are a few leggy lilacs, and I found two, small azaleas that look like they are barely surviving. I’m moving them into more sunny areas so hopefully they will do better. Already I am looking forward to next Spring, for the first time in years.

This is what I have spent most of my time doing, that and getting my son ready for school which starts next week.

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