It was interesting to adapt to the farm life once again, when we got back from our Spanish trip.
I forgot how such basic needs, as staying warm, would become a top priority, especially if we want to stay healthy and as sick-free a possible (which is quite hard in these days).
The day after we arrived, I was already on the lookout for stuffs to burn, jumping on every occasion to help a friend that needs to get rid off a tree(thank it!), pit stop on the side of the road, nobody's watching, put some more in the trunk...
I even went all the way down on our land and cut the cherry tree that the neighbour accidentally set on fire last year.
It's hollow but it will be probably be ready to burn in a few months, in the meantime, I've got to do something unfathomable, I have to use my hard earn cash to buy wood.
See, with the current price of fuel, our fuel heating system is no bueno, electricity is also currently super expensive so using an electric heater doesn't make sense, the only sensible way to stay warm is to use the Fireplace, it warms up half of the house, and is probably the cheapest option.
Not too far from where I live, I finally found someone that had some wood to sell.
It really help me sleep better at night, that I won't be spending the next few weeks to find a wood supply.
He had some oak and pine tree, I went for the pine tree, I am not even trying to negotiate a price, he's an old timer, I am wanting to build a long term relationship and make sure I have wood for the whole winter.
"I started piling that wood last year, people thought I was going crazy. Look who's crazy now..."
The old man smiles at me, I think that's the first time I saw him smile. Money makes people happy, especially in winter.
The lumberjack owns pigeons, ducks, chickens, his little puppies, I ask about their breeds, "they're dogs"... 🤣 I thought so, thank you...
We drive back to my farm, and dropped a few "sters" (the unit) in front on our chicken coop...
...Half of it on the other side...
...Then I found a cool "walking cane", I won't burn this one.
The wood lasted for a few weeks, and it was already time to refill.
I realise that we got so accustomed to having a fire burning, I try to keep it on 24/7, put a big log before going to bed and rekindle the braziers in the morning.
The puppies have grown a lot and were happy to see me, so cute...The (84 years) old lumberjack that is selling the wood is now sporting a big lump on his hand, I point at it, in shock. He waves it off, telling me that he couldn't book an appointment at the doctor for now, and "it's not that painful anyway", he doesn't know how he got it. He might slice it off himself.
Old folks are made off a different cloth. He then proceeds to narrate a long story about how he chainsawed his own face once, lip & nose, and had to use wire and needle they use to process the turkeys,sewed back his own face, after urinating in his hands to wash the blood off his face, and "everything was fine"...
Wow, countryside lifestyle is gangster.
This will last until the end of January, and keep us warm! Apparently the french government, realizing that wood is now the cheapest option for most, is even encouraging homes to warm themselves with it, and offering some form of refund/aid. Interesting times, for most of these old folks, they've been through the second world war and know about true scarcity, so they're ready for a long winter if it comes down to it.
You gotta listen to old folks...