I know I've said this before, but during the warmer months the wood stove is purely ornamental. It actually becomes something of a catch-all. We put stuff on it, like it's a table or something. In the winter, however, it is a central part of our life here. During the recent cold snap it was very comforting to know that the wood rack was stocked up and to sit in front of the stove and soak up the heat radiating out of it.
One of the worries during really cold weather is that the power will go off, and that it will wreak havoc on water pipes and the like. Electric powered pellet stoves aren't any help unless you have a generator (we do). The wood stove provides an insurance policy should the power go off for a long period of time. You could even cook meals on it if necessary.
The stove, along with the iron pot on top to provide humidity, makes the most amazing sounds; sighing, mewing, clanking, bubbling. It's almost like a living thing.
Every man looks at his wood-pile with a kind of affection.
House-warming
Walden
Henry David Thoreau
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