We have heat!

The woodstoves are installed! This is the only work, besides the excavating for the foundation, that we have hired out. The installers from Rocky's (really---would I make that up?) did, in four hours, what would probably have taken us about three days, given our usual learning curve. Plus, their installation meets state fire codes, and if the roof leaks, we have people to blame it on. They were nice guys, even though they chipped our new tile. The markup on parts seemed a tad exhorbitant (but this is from the perspective of people who almost never hire out home improvement/construction work).

Joe had picked up a wood cookstove a year or so ago through an ad in Uncle Henry's. It was manufactured by Magee Furnace Company, which operated in Boston in the late 1800s. We sanded off some rust, applied furnace cement here and there, replaced a few stove bolts, and painted it. We fired it up today. The oven stays warm for a long time after the fire dies out.

Our big purchase, though, was a brand new Jotul woodstove. I have heated with wood for more than 20 years, but never with a new stove. We opted for a Black Bear 118, which looks small, but has an 8-hour burn and is rated for 1800 sq ft: more than double our area. It may well chase us out, but we were reluctant to go with the parlor-sized stove, as this is our only heat source.

So let's see: our windows are in, and we have heat. A temporary wall and a couple of doors are all that's standing in the way of getting out of our rented trailer. And interior walls.

After last night's HARD frost, we decided that it was time to disconnect the Bison hand pump from its outdoor setup and keep it safe and warm till we can install it next to our kitchen sink. Which will require the construction of counters. And plumbing. Pesky details.