Human instinct must have been kicking in. Still remember the exact place, and the thoughts

running through my 6 or 7 year old brain.  Was the first time i was witnessed to.  Neighbor girl, Lois, was from a churchgoing family.  She said something about God being angry with sinners.  No, don't recall her exact words, but do recall - as if my reaction to her words happened last Tuesday - thinking, along the lines of, i'm in serious trouble.  Being that my folks didn't do church, though Dad's mom did - gram went to a for-real church - anyway, i barely looked skyward, out of fear, in knowing that, that i could be zapped with a bolt of lightening.  i remember not even thinking about quarreling with that angry "white bearded old man" (okay, can't resist taking that little pot shot at Lord-bashers :).

Then, my neighbor told me about Jesus.  And no, can't remember her exact words, but do recall my reaction to her words.  Such relief.  i then knew, i wouldn't get zapped, or whatever, because Jesus likes kids.  Here's what else that popped into my little noggin.  Instinct at work?  i knew that, that "white bearded" old sky warrior loved his son, and because he loved his son, the old king wouldn't zap me.  In short, Jesus protected kids (like me) from his father's anger.

And there's something else, i recall.  Simply accepting things as they were.  Basically, not even considering wanting to question or judge the relationship between Father and Son - the father being angry, while the son being protecting.  All's i knew was, Father and Son were close, and just plain accepted that.

So, did i come to a saving knowledge that day?   Even though i did not fault God for his anger toward me (YES, i remember not even for one second, harboring any resentment, only accepting things as they were.)  Seriously believe, i had come within an inch of salvation.  But i don't recall asking Jesus to save me.

Getting across that final inch, didn't happen until around this time of year, twelve years ago.  

Anyway, mr.agnostic/atheist rolled out his reasons to not believe. Not surprised,

having been the bright little boy he was (and now, a bright mid-40s man) his questions had been met with ... number one:  VICIOUS mind games, and about NO honest "well, I don't know."   Had to about laugh, (not funny, just no-brainer) when he made the statement, that churches have, amongst them, more than one or two evil people, and that most people there, are faking it.  Uhm, didn't Jesus say, " on that day, many will say, Lord, Lord, haven't we, in your name do many wonderful works..."  And doesn't Jude, who i think was Jesus's half brother, warn the church that "ravenous wolves" were in the church, planning and plotting bad trouble.

He didn't go into alot of detail about the mind gaming he had experienced as a youngster, but what he said, was enough.  YES hell is real, and it is eternal, but a four year old does NOT need to have the horrid details pounded into his little brain.  Kids need to learn about grace, forgiveness, love - and turning away from bratty behavior,  and that sin is a human condition, that even the best and brightest of us, struggle against it.

Nope, the little boy was threatened with hell-fire, because he was ... what!  Looking out the window, watching some squirrel, that's what.

Next up, was the slaughter of the caananites.  Oh yeah, that was one i struggled with, for several years.  He said, they had just been living their lives.  Yeah, what i used to think too - i had thought they were just pot-smoking hippies, going to the high places where they grooved to grateful dead melodies.  No, seriously, that music is ancient.

Needless to say, how naive.   The caananites were into some nasty stuff.  They had been practicing...ugh, for centuries.  And didn't the Lord warn the israelites, that if they did the same, the "land would vomit them out."

An individual, who believes that when we die, we just cease to exist. Not surprised, he went on

to say things like, there being no proof.  That brought to mind the account of the freed hebrews crossing the red sea - and where they crossed, their sandals didn't get muddy.  Uh, how did that exposed bit of ground dry, within ... what?  A few hours?  Oh wait, i know i know, the Lord has this turbo hand dryer ... ya know, the kind that plumbers use, but like 80 zillion times more powerful.   But laying all jokes aside, that ground WAS dry.  How do i know this?  Uhm, it's in the (King James) Bible.

And tthheeenn, in the nick of time, when the last of the hebrews got to the other side, and the pharoah and company were hot on hebrew heels, the water came crashing down.  Then, some days later, their canteens were empty, Moses struck a rock, and out flows water.

Evidence that the Lord is real?  How much evidence does a person need?  We know the rest of the story - many of them did not believe.  They wanted their cucumbers and some bull image to party around.

So much for evidence.  Meanwhile, here in the "real" world, it's so commonplace for people to spend money they don't have on things that don't last.  You'd think that, after a few "please remit" statements arrive in the box, a person would consider this clear  evidence, that he or she is headed for trouble.

Nope.  

It's out the door and down to the qwik-way...after all, that last trip yielded $100 (never mind, the months of $10s, $20 - and maybe a random return of $3 or $5.  Uhm, didn't we all learn about this in 8th grade?  Btw, this blogger struggles with basic math, but i know that if you earn $10 dollars, it's a dog gone good idea to put aside atleast a little bit of it, because your weed whacker might quit.

More later, godda git.

Oh brother! Gramma's in debt up to her eyeballs, works a tedious job, and retirement..?

Guess that won't be happening anytime soon.  Anyway, her 35-ish daughter just had a baby, and also has been living paycheck to paycheck...guess not now, her baby is like two weeks old.  She also works a tedious job, and yeah, she is single.  Don't know whether or not dad is even in the picture.  The baby is a boy, who, stastically, will grow up fatherless.  

Back in '91, Daniel Amneus had published a readable study about boys who grow up without their dads.  While fatherless girls tend to hook up with the wrong sort of men, the boys tend to become those men.  And so, another troubled generation.  Another generation whose productivity will be lacking - to put it mildly.

A certain preacher had said, to paraphrase, "there is no one more bitter than a [child born out of wedlock], he (or she) knows his (other) parent didn't love him enough to raise him."   He had said, to the effect that these kids are prone into growing up with a vicious mindset.  

And NO, killing kids (abortion) isn't the solution.  But taking that mtv, and hollywood rubbish, and tossing it in the pit ... that would be smart.  Hollywood is nothing but low-down scoffers - they make fun of anything even approaching decent.   

Ya know, the skinny kid, who goes to church, cuts the grass - without his dad having to remind him thirty times - does his homework, gets a decent job, gets promoted...bla, bla, bla... Those achieving young men have been held to scorn for decades.   Why?   Well, heaven forbid, back in the day, the typical decent young guy wanted to meet a decent young gal, marry her and raise a family.

What's wrong with that?  The weirdos in the entertainment industry, hate families - and have for decades.  Hollywood and such, has so many devils, they're parked on the roof, and hanging on the sides.

Rant done, bye for now.

Well, i didn't know that - per fmla, when you're on leave w/o pay, for x-amount of time,

you have to make up the difference of what your employer pays for health benefits.  And those payments have to be on time.  So, how does that work?  Getting a reduced, if any, pay, and now you owe, yet another bill?  All's i know is, about half the time, the ill person is not you, but a child, or other family member.  And you can bet your reduced check, it's the women who end up eff'd out of their pay checks - if not their future earning power.  But she isn't the only one who gets a bum steer.

So, the pages in her inbasket continue to accumulate.  But the work has to be done ... by someone.  Yep, give it to that co-worker in the next cube.   And that co-worker probably doesn't have family obligations  -  yep, here we go with the mommy/non-mommy track wars.  

Ya hear the child-free party rant.  And yeah, they've a point.  Unfortunately, way more often than not, their socio-politics is ssso rooted in hedonI$m...so much for credibility:/  Because the Biblical FACT remains:  we're supposed to want kids, and people who don't, are some 99 out of 100, just plain self centered - want their stupid little hobbIe$ (which don't amount to...well, much of anything, really) and whatever other entertaInment$.  Gag. With. Spoon :/

From a worldling point of view, you wonder why our economy is on life support??  It's because there are not enough young people to pass the baton to, as we 60-somethings - having been working for the past 40-some years - either want to, or have to, go part-time or full retIrement.   Meanwhile, young people are tax burdened - for things (like boomers) for which they won't benefit...and young people cop an attitude??  Well, duh.

All just comes back around, to what happens when, sadly, the Bible gets ignored, and women get pushed into the workforce.  Yes pushed, because when the kids are little, mom would rather be home with them - and not having to straddle two completely different worlds, and trying to deal with the mediocrity...because, most of us can only multitask so much, for so long.

Yep, we ignore the Word, and then beef about the mess we're all in.

Speaking of "t-rash," (what we used to call "crumb-bums") have a hard time believing that women of privilege actually chase after

such low-life's.  And yeah, i get it, a gal wants a masculine man - and that's why men who've gone to war/fight fires/chase crooks/restore power during high winds usually have their choice of attractive women.  

Needful to say, it sure doesn't help matters affecting men, with mtv-ism defining masculinity.  Please, LORD, help us all out here; only YOU have the power to take mtv and cast it into hell - where it came from.  Speaking of hollywood and such, it's sorta funny how people rattle off about big-gubment being such a waste...oh, kindly move over, fed and state bureaucrats, you've all been bested - the REAL waste of resources is the entertainment industry...Period.

Shift about to start, bye!

Thinking about buying "Curse of High IQ." Not that i am smart, it's just that, can somehow understand

what it would be like to find very, very few people to relate to.  Anyway, the book is by Aaron Clarey - and he has some other interesting titles (ya can't find interesting stuff just any old where).  One thing that stands out is:  most people are of average iq, and so, are able to share common interests.  But if you're really smart, there is likely three other people in town with whom you could share interests - oh wait, Carl is 90 and doesn't hear so well, and Mike?  Well, he has some issues (couldn't have anything to do with those mean t-rash's back in junior high...could it??).

Anyway, it doesn't take a rocket science degree to atleast have some understanding of what loneliness must feel like.  And it doesn't take a mega-brain to know that most people are more extrovert than are introvert.  Btw, being the latter is a real hurdle, because the Scriptures say so much about doing this, that, and the other for other people - where introverts would rather just steer clear of people-drama.

Yikes, godda roll.  (Being on other people's timetable...inhales).

Winter is messy and cluttery, glad it's over. Because,

even though i keep things swept up and such, by around late february, early march, i notice how dusty and gritty things get - that rock salt...but what are you going to do?  Not use it, and fall on your behind?   

But worse than that, the abominable snowman is green.  Yep, get to thinking, about so-n-so, living in that luxurious 3k some square feet, with that spacious utility area.  Plenty of room for salt and shovels - oh, wait a second, she and her husband contract out their snow removal.  And she throws away her old clothes - doesn't need them for any (cold weather) yard work - they have people doing that too.  Comfortably retIred, they go out for meals, and meet with their comfortably retIred friends.

Anyway, these thoughts in my mind for a moment, if that, because greenie has to begone.  Yeah, i'm an idiot, for, even for half a moment, entertaining covetous thoughts - especially, toward people, who, very sadly, are probably lost.

Yeah, what's the point of several decades of solid comfort, only to enter eternity without Christ?  Uh, don't wanna go there.  

"I, even I, am the LORD ; and beside me there is no saviour." Isaiah 43:11

Around last november, there was a staff meeting, and the leaders of it, ended up giving away the store.

The main topic was, the "opioid crises."  i had heard that term, but didn't know what it meant.  Sure, not too long before the meeting, i knew opioids were pain pills, and so figured, people getting over surgeries and such were getting addicted - which is easy, because, unlike regular pain pills - so i'm told - opioids don't clog up your plumbing.  So, i assumed that opioid addiction was gender neutral - okay, actually, i thought, perhaps, more women were popping those things (we gals are wimps ya know ;).

Nope.  And i was shocked.  Listening to the exec-direcs talk, it's not the middle-aged (overweight) female divorced cafeteria workers getting hooked.  And it's not the young green-haired female wally-world cashiers (getting run ragged and jipped out of their bathroom breaks) who are getting hooked.  Nor is it the female nurse's aids...a grueling job that doesn't pay near enough.  Nope!  

The majority of the population addicted to opioids is .... yep.  The exec-direcs even said.  By the way, where i work, among the higher-ups, the gender ratio is about 4 men to 6 women.  Think the top-top most is more like 70% men - if not more.

Unpop opinion alert: MEN running things is Biblical.  Wanna beef?  Go argue with Jesus Christ...hey, i'm just a clerk - doing data entry and taking the mail cart on the afternoon run (the clerk across the hall, does the morning).

Boomers are divorcing in greater numbers than young/er couples, but what the articles aren't addressing,

is: (and this could be coupled with, the fact that more young/er people consider themselves as "nons" - not identifying with any church) young/er people are choosing to shack up, even after the baby is born.  What's the stats now?  Something like, nearly half the babies born, are born out of wedlock.  Unfortunately, even in our enlightened times, such a circumstance does turn and bite, in the statistical forms of lower grades, longer unemployment periods, and addiction and related behavioral issues. (Garbage Generation, Daniel Amneus, 1991 - okay, that was a long time ago, but one terrific book)

Out of wedlock??   it's not desiring to white-wash anything, but doggonnit, i just don't like using that certain other word.  The one that pharisicals, in the olden days, would, hurl around - with a pinky extended - and without skipping a beat, cruely consign those children to workhouses, and lock them out of getting any kind of reasonably decent employment - that is, if they survived the first few workhouse potato-gruel winters.

Good old days...my. freaking.... foot.

So, maybe the mess people are in these days, is directly related to the outright meanness demonstrated by our victorian grandparents.  Can ya spell "sins of the fathers being visited upon..." ?  Oh, the women were so proper, being careful not to show an ankle while getting into a carriage ... gag me with a spoon :(  By the way, around the time feminism was getting into gear, (wouldn't have anything to do with the rent and grocery money having been drank up, would it??) women were leaving mansion kitchens and laundries, and flocking to factories, because though the work was hard, the pay was better, and (for the most part) the boss wasn't nosing/judging their workers' personal decisions.  Meanwhile, the judgy rich beeches - with their prim-n-proper high-necked 40-yards of fine fabric - were scrambling for cheap household labor (yeah, cry me a river :).  

"My wife and i have 300k in [the bank] ...i'm embarrassed for not planning [for retIrement] ..." Oh, the agenda is overt enough.

Google news runs these types of poor-mouth, oh-pity-me articles, about weekly.  Seriously, people, somehow manage to / have to retire on alot less.  Frankly, can't help but to suspect, there's an agenda going on here.  The intention is overtly to stirr up - among the other 80-some percent of americans - covetousness, along with its life-partner, resentment.  Come on, already!  Any one (or couple) who managed to save 300k - and other assets, besides - obviously made some sort of long-term plans.   Guess mr. wants-to-retIre hasn't been worldling enough :/

Anyway, guess i'll go cry him a river :)

Couldn't resist - just got finished putting most the snow stuff away.

Left the metal shovel and enough rock salt, in case we get some freezing rain.  So, if we get dumped with a foot, you all can blame me.   i'll just turn around and blame my employer.  This morning, just outside the elevators, guess what i was greeted by!  A hand-truck with several bags of rock salt, waiting to be taken into basement storage.  Getting into the elevator, i just smiled and waved bye-bye to the some half-dozen bags, and thought, see ya around late fall.

Shannon's 1/24/21 blog post is so long, it would take me all day... so i linked her blog on the sidebar. Anyway, the Jan 21st post is entitled,

"Apparently, I triggered a lot of men with my blog post about women hitting the wall."  Anyway, glad i just linked her home page, because she has alot of well written articles.  And have only been able to read back to like September of 2021.  Shannon is in her late 20s and lives in the Big Apple - our lives worlds apart.  But the point is: her articles are interesting; she writes about real world things, affecting young people (late 20s?  THAT'S young).  

Granted, having only began reading her posts, somehow, i doubt there will be much, if any, Scripture quoted.  But that's the thing - most people live their lives - while striving to be decent towards others - with little or no interest in learning what the Lord Jesus, per His for-real Word, thinks and has to say about things.  Is what it is, in this fallen world.  

Anyway, her "...triggered..." article, perhaps, had triggered her a bit.  But, ah, didn't, evidently, take long for our big-city heroine to smell the poison coming off the red pellets.  In her article, she so splendidly sums up their basement mentality, with a comment about aging women (30 is aging???  that's just laughable, when you're mid-60s) being these manospherian's only means of getting back.  In short, she her their crowing for what it is - sad, vengeful, bitter.

VERY needful to say:  Shannon, soon enough to turn 30, wrote polite - like her other articles.

Godda go.

Oh forget it, that recipe calls for "sour milk." Browsing thru the cookbook,

here and there, that's happened a few times.  And yeah, have heard that a few drops of vinegar (wine that didn't age well :) will sour the milk, and make it okay for the recipe.   Maybe so, and maybe no, just have turned the page, and looked for another cookie recipe.  Btw, prefer to make my own cookies, the store-bought ones are made with waay too much sugar.  

Hhmm, just had a thought: would sour cream (which is milk-2.0, that got old :) work for that cookie recipe?  Oh wait, i used the sour cream on the taters.  Will make something that doesn't require running out to the store.  Speaking of the grocery store, why is about half the dairy section in the same area where they sell wine (which, "is a mocker" :) btw ?  Anyway, still find that quite irritating, because grocery stores are there to supply families with food and related stuff - not to make drunkenness more convenient for sluffballs.  i hate booze.  Have seen too many lives/finances ruined by it.

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging : and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."  Proverbs 20:1

Why is pre-wall Pamela "wasting" her "smv" years? Her good-timing wouldn't have anything to do

with the fact, that she knows that building her career now, is just plain smart.  Pamela is 23, but she's been around long enough to have witnessed what looks like age discrimination.  While women start hitting that "wall" around 40 or so, men get slammed into the same wall at around 50.  Pamela also knows building things - that will likely weather storms - take time.  

Pamela goes to work each day, then off to class, stops at the gym, then takes out supper somewhere, then to her apartment where she studies diligently.  She has to, to keep that 3.8 grade point average, to keep an edge on her cmv (career market value).  Needful to say, Pam doesn't have much - if any - time to learn how to sew dresses or can applesauce.  And forget about messing up her kitchen to roll pie-crust ... stuff's fattening, so what's the point! 

In the real world, like it or not, career is very important.  And it's one of those things that's best cultivated while young.  

Come to think of it, maybe, just maybe, that's yet another reason why the snot-brats over at ROK are anxiously anticipating Pamela's 30th birthday.  Yep, Pam just interviewed for a promotion; and if she doesn't get this one, there's other promotions that look interesting.  You see, dear reader, our heroine is a 4 (per the red pill's evolution-based, and VERY Christless, scale) so yeah, for her to get ahead, her reports have to be pre-deadline and accurate.   

Oh, and her having a car AND a driver's license (and no dui expenses)...yeah, such is yet another ingredient known to stirr up some resentment among the mommy's-basement socio-political party.  

And yeah, she gets to go places...that is, when her studies and various other obligations are caught up.   Every two or three friday or saturday nights, she gets together with friends.  And sure, they sometimes go to this or that nightclub, listen to the band, have a few drinks, hit the dance floor, and enjoy being young.  Meanwhile, over at red-pill ville, alot of half-stale corn chips get consumed between the same old screen id crowing about wine and age.

Never mind, most wines are either insanely sweet, or they leave a bitter aftertaste.  Maybe the $100 a bottle stuff does neither, but seriously, why blow $100, or even $50, on something you're just going to pee away, an hour or so later!

Oh, by the way - and this one's really rich - one of the thinks-he's-so-clever snot-brats made the remark about some 30 year-old broad discovering the church life.  Well guess what, einstein, if you bothered yourself to read atleast a few coming-to-Christ testimonies, you would notice that, for the most part, men and women generally  accept Christ (on His terms, alone) some years before gray hairs appear/waist lines thicken.  Not to say that ya can't get saved at 50, or even 80 - just sayin, most people begin to see vanity fair for what it is, prior to their middle years.

Anyway, Pamela and her friends are like most people.  People who want to live productive lives, have things, and mercy sakes alive, have some fun before they get old ... way of the (unsaved) world.   Pam and her friends see things as they are:  in this world, of today, women - young, old, skinny, fat - are on their own, like it or not.  And sad to say, but reality is what is, to become financially dependent on a man???   

Not smart, sad to say.  Just is what it is.

And you wonder why, young women are (supposedly) chasing "chads."  Oh come on, young women - who are navigating quite well through the daily life of work (while ROK are parked on saggy sofas munching on pork rinds - ew gross!)   Anyway, isn't it even remotely possible these (supposedly) promiscuous young women are just going with the flow, enjoying the time, while knowing, sooner or later, last call will be announced?

Wow, that was some storm. Started forming Friday,

came through saturday, and headed northward.  And grew on the way up.  Still around, way up in the north pole region, and finally - it's tuesday, late afternoon - and it's breaking up.  Figured it would be like other storms - throwing a fit one day, then fading out the next day.  This one lasted like the best end of five days.

Are you kidding me? A "Better Bachelor" video popped up, and he was going on about

slightly-below average soon-to-hit-the-wall women chasing chads, then getting a real snow job - dumped after being "plowed" a few times.  Well, duh..?  He was going on about, something like 90% of women chasing like 10% of men.  So evolutionary...there you go...in a world without Christ.  You all can have at it :/ Anyway, let's just say, for argument's sake, what he's saying is at least partially true; then what he's saying is, most women are really stupid.  But that's only the half of it.  The "average" men ... ya know, the guys who plow our streets, fix downed power-lines at 3 am, during high winds AND sleet...yeah, those guys...  He goes on saying how average guys basically get left out.

Get left out of what?  Drama - and medical surprises - that's what.  Seriously, while Chad-chaser is young and really hot...yep, here we go again with the evolutionary bs.  Frankly, i have a difficult time believing that most young women are out there selling themselves so dirt cheap.  Granted, back in the 70s and 80s, there were "those kind of girls," but most the girls had steady boyfriends, and were interested in a possible future of marriage and children with him.  Have things devolved that much, over the past 40-some years, to the point where seven reasonably attractive women are chasing one perfectly sculpted chad - who looks like a ... a three dollar bill?  

Maybe i'm just old, and need to get out more.  Oh i think not :)  Wading in a cess-pool..?  No thanks.  Frankly, can't help but to think, being "old" is but one manifestation of the Lord's restraining grace.

Yippee yahoo, driveway's done. Now all that needs to be shoveled are the mailboxes, but

they can wait.  No mail on Sunday :)  Been at this for four hours, and am done.  What made the shoveling tedious was...well of ccouurrrsee it had to ra-ra-raaiinnn a bit, before the snow came through.  And neither does it make things easier with the wind.  Weather, ugh!  So, the mailboxes can wait.  What can't wait: is the car, need to get the snow off of that, because the temps are going down.

On the, sort of, lighter side of wintry weather, are the excuses lazy people make.  Like, why shovel, because it will drift shut?  Uhm, maybe in the dakotas and alaska, but here in the mid north east, shoveling a wide path, right off, goes a long way.  Lazy people will also say, why shovel when the storm is still going?  Well, probably, in big-time snowy states, lazybones may have a point - but i doubt, snowy states have many lazy people.  In those states, and a few others, a two-foot dump of snow is about business as usual - and if you haven't bothered yourself to be prepared...that's not good.  

On a break from the shoveling. Sure could wait and finish tomorrow, but

when snow sits, it gets hard - if not frozen.  But try and explain that fact of winter weather to a lazy person...yeah, good luck with that.  The storm that came through January 7th was about typical for a significant winter storm; there was 6 inches.  Having a long driveway, it took about 10 hours worth of shoveling.  Any more than the normal 6, will just call for a plow.  i have one of those ergo-shovels, which is basically a manually operated mini-snowplow - otherwise, uh, no way could i handle a some 100 foot driveway.  And there's other shoveling:  the walkways, the concrete pad, and a wide path down to the pole-barn and woodshed.  

Thankfully, dan'l-boonin is not primary source, just a backup, to take the chill out - that is, if there's not noreaster/high wind activity.  Of course, when working outside, gives me a chill when coming inside.  Later on, when the low pressure/winds are out of here, will lay a fire - in the meantime, there's something called warm clothing.  

And yeah, it's not easy to find warm, practical feminine clothing.  Oh yeah, for sure, there is a reason for that - can ya spell "up draft from below!"  And it smells like rotten eggs.  But that's another post.

Anyway, time to get back, want to get done. 

Holy patolie, gas sure went up. The middle grade is about $4.50 a gallon.

No, wait, think it was closer to $4.60; the hightest was $4.95.  Last time i got gas was two weeks ago, and i think the middle was $3.85.  Good thing winter is on it's way out; can only imagine what fuel oil runs - i use electric, which isn't cheap either, but it doesn't leave a nasty film on your walls.

Anyway, think i have an idea where these insane gas prices will lead, come next winter.  As in back in the 70s, people came up with the bright idea of playing dan'l-boone - wood stoves.  Yep, our grandfather's, who worked themselves into early graves, in order to PROVIDE their wives and children with drama-free heat, are probably saying, what the heck??

Here's the reality in boone-ville.  First off, burning wood is not necessarily cheaper than fuel oil or electric.  Firewood-Planet does not cut, deliver or stack for free.  So, if you do all that yourself, you'll need a reliable backroads vehicle, chainsaws, spare chains, a place to store it - forget about outside under tarps, the wa-wa wwiiinnnddd will blow those things off...late at night or while you're at work.  

And, of ccouuurrssee, it will either be raining, or will be raining.  So, build a shed fred, and build one big enough to bring in a dolly, and be able to keep separate the wood that was cut last year, from that which was cut the year before.  Actually, unless you cut in the dead of winter, and even so, it's best to only burn wood that is seasoned for two years; one year doesn't always burn well.  

The stove itself isn't cheap either, and will need yearly maintenance.  And be sure to keep an eye on the weather, because it's no fun bringing in wood when it's dark and slippery out.  

Yep, playing pioneer is also time-consuming.  After all the cutting, stacking, lugging logs into the house, there's the extra dust and grit to be swept after.  Oh wait, then there's the ashes to lug outside.  Best to empty early and often, because ashes left to accumulate, means more live ones.  Also, empty then from the ash bucket, into a metal can with a lid - one solid enough that it won't tip over during high winds.  Also, unless your stove is connected to a real chimney - which also needs maintenan$e - burning while there's high winds?  Makes you wonder, what's the point!

And finally, the fun part.  When those nasty noreasters roll in, your stove will probably back-draft and fill your house with smoke.  Then you'll have to open doors and windows.  So now, you're house just got a few degrees colder, and be sure you had previously shut your bedroom clothes closet.  As for your raincoat, hanging on a peg in the back room, that will need the smokey smell washed out - as if you don't have enough laundry to deal with, as it is.  Best to not use the woodstove during storms...sometimes have to wonder, then what's the point!

Point is:  grandfather knew all about the woodburning bs.  That's why he put in all those extra hours, and had drama-free central heat put in.  

Oh, by the way, one of my late husband's buddies had recalled, during burning season, of every morning, before school, having to go out, in the cold/wet and dark, to lug in logs - needless to say, he wanted no parts of woodburning--period!  Yell it and tell it, Tony!

As for pellet stoves, don't know too much about them, except they are electric dependent.  Sounds like dan'l-boone lite bs.

Spring is on its way, yaay! While working in the yard yesterday,

was nipping brambles and small branches.  Inside, just beneath the bark, had noticed greenish sap.  This wasn't present two or three weeks ago, while out doing the same.  Yeah, wanted to get as much done before the bramble stuff starts growing.  Also, while taking a break, felt a breeze - it was a spring breeze.  All's i can say is, yay!  Maybe it's an age thing, but this winter was a cold one - felt that way.  

Sounds like "growing in grace." Over at Lori Anderson's "Transformed Wife Blog" is an article from Debi Pearl.

"third woe (the rules have changed" is on my sidebar.   She has noticed changes over the past 20-some years.  When she started her ministry (not preaching from the pulpit, just writing articles/books that people can choose to read - or not read) her focus was more about wives getting fussy over husbands leaving their dirty socks in the livingroom.  But she has noted, marital conflicts are going way beyond the normal livingroom waste basket not having been emptied or toothpaste globs left in the powder-room sink.  

"Forgiveness Trap," Pastor Mike Ragan. Terrific sermon, it's at the sidebar.

And woah, he preaches from the regular King James.  Basically, he describes how mean people enjoy being mean, and then twisting Scripture, whenever someone calls them on it.   Most churches gloss over the reality of wolves (sociopathic people) in the church, and the drama they enjoy creating.