warmth of the fire

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We all gather around the fire for warmth and cooking on these snowy winter days.  I have soup, vegetables and grains cooking on the stove.  Bread is rising on the lower right of the fire, and kombucha tea and sourdough are staying warm on the mantle... A normal winter day  Of course even our dog Summer likes to stay warm by the fire.  Our woodstove is older and well used, it needs a good cleaning and repainting, along with a new damper, but it sure puts out the heat and does a great job cooking food.  This time of year we almost never let it go out, and bank it at night to easily start up in the morning. 

We live in the upstairs of the barn and use the cabin daily for showers and sometimes cooking, as we are still slowly building our big house, which is in the sheetrock stage and has been for a long time.  In the lower level of our barn is a woodshop, and has it's own woodstove.  The cats live in the lower portion, and enjoy the fire when it's going down there.  It's still snowing outside, and is starting to turn to rain a little today.  You can see Kaley in shorts (just in from sledding, and removed all her snow gear), the kids don't seem to feel the cold like adults, I will bundle up warm on these cold winter days.  March will be here this week, and I'm looking forward to Spring days in the garden full of sunshine and warmth, we're getting close, maybe this will be the last snow of the year.

I haven't been able to get in to Seattle to pick up the rest of my soap making supplies, namely the Lye (due to the weather).  I drove all over to every store I thought would have lye in our town, and no one had it, I guess lye is not a popular thing people buy these days.  I had no idea this would be such a hard item to find.  I know the store Zenith in Seattle will have it, so hopefully the snow will melt, and I can get down there on Tuesday or Wednesday.  I have everything else ready, and just need lye and cocoa butter.

Wherever you are, I hope you're warm and cozy too.