Since our wood stove got installed I have been doing all our cooking on it. Cookies, cake and topping, soups, gravy, grilled cheese sandwiches, eggs, bacon, sausages, biscuits, fried potatoes, popcorn, and ham. It’s been fun experimenting along the way how to get everything cooked best. I have only burned one thing and that was the first batch of cookies. We did just pick up a Lodge cooking trivet so that should make some of my cooking easier.

The most exciting thing we have been doing on the stove cook wise is making popcorn. Yup, you read right. My mom gave us a popcorn maker as a surprise present. It’s all metal and you crank the handle which turns some things (Lee groaning here at my lack of explanation) and moves the kernels around. Then up pops the most wonderful popcorn you could wish for that tastes so much better than that bagged stuff. Not to mention that it has none of the chemicals or bad stuff in it. Then dash salt on it and pour melted butter…..oh its great I tell you. My mom got it from Territorial Seed Company for us if you are wanting one.

This of course is Edgar watching over me as the popcorn is getting made. He has an INTENSE weakness for popcorn and has to supervise the cooking of it always.

We got snow, snow, SNOW! Maybe it’s not that exciting to the rest of you, but after living in the desert for five years it’s exciting. And yes I know, it’s not that much compared to “some” of you and your snow piles. But it’s beautiful and I’m loving it. Okay, so maybe I do have one complaint with it. There isn’t enough to build anything with. If there had been more I would have been out there making snow sculptures.

Not to leave Edgar out here, this was his first snow he had ever been in. Did he notice anything different? If he did he didn’t let on and had much fun zooming around in it. Business as usual for him.

Tonight’s accomplishment is two indoor outlets.  I haven’t done it sooner because I was concerned about it interfering with the first stage in county electrical inspections.  Ever since we moved in, there have been two extension cords dangling from our living room window and plugged into boxes below the service panel.  There have also been lots of emphatic “when you get electricity” phrases uttered by in-laws, and lots of tripping over cords running about the place.

However, with tonight’s temperatures hovering around 10 degrees and cold air streaming in through a window held open for ridiculous reasons, I reached my limit.  If the county inspector wants to complain, I will apologise for having the audacity to simultaneous want electricity during a home renovation project and live in a county where the building department is owned by special interest groups.

So, 40 minutes to Jerry’s for two plastic outlet boxes and two outlets, one hour with a hammer, drill, wire strippers, etc, and the luxury of indoor electricity is ours!  Admittedly, we still have extension cords, but the location allows me to route them almost entirely out of the way.  No more tripping!

And yes, the outlets are strictly temporary.  For one thing, new code regulations require tamper proof outlets.  Also, I’m not sure I meet wire strapping requirements with this installation.  Given there is less than 3 feet of wire in the longer run, I’m going to worry about something else though.  Like our dwindling firewood pile …

I’m so glad that we have our stove installed now. There is a forecast of snow for this weekend. Even if we don’t get any it’s still going to be cold. I love my new fire place. Have I mentioned that already?