Friday, July 11, 2014

End of Day


 The wood shed is full to the brim...  That was long, hot work ... so glad it is all under cover air-drying for winter.  makes you feel taken care of... a person does not have to use wood for winter heat here, there are lots of alternatives, and several are installed in our house...
  As a matter of fact when we built our house we put in a wood stove just to have as back up in case of emergencies but we ended up liking it so much that is what we use as our main heat source all winter... along with the sun..

Dusk ... from St. Martins, New Brunswick looking over the Bay of Fundy towards the coast of Nova Scotia.. 24-30 miles
 out my studio window... just finished work for the day...I believe it was about 8:30 pm.  
I am never disappointed by the cloud show

Close up of the Copper and Sterling Silver "Scarabs" ....
.... sold out of this design, just sent them off to a new home.


 The Siberian Iris.... they are done blooming now but they did give a gorgeous show earlier in the year.

 There are at least a pair of Northern Mockingbirds nesting around the gardens... The repertoire of songs that these birds sing amazes me..
 I think they know every song there ever was... they are always performing in the tops of the tallest trees..
 ...morning, noon and night and all day in between.   I love it.

 We have another door on the end of the woodshed too ... makes it easier to fill.
...the slots in between the boards let lots of heat and air blow through and allows the moisture from the wood to escape.

Pretty isn't it?... beautiful to look at, really.  It will be almost a shame to burn it.
Maple and some Birch.

What can I say about that Nature out there....  makes a body feel fine....

***

Desideratum Art and Jewelry Studio, St. Martins, New Brunswick, Canada

31 comments:

Guillaume said...

Lovely pictures, as usual.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Guillaume, nature always has a smile on its face.

Shelley said...

Have been wondering how you have been with the storm coming through and all. Love the photos - missing our 'cottage' but loving it here by the River's Edge. Miss tea darlin' do take care. Hello to all.

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

Your photos and stories always bring sighs...at the hard work and the lovely place you live in...

Penny said...

Such lovely photos, always makes me wish I could visit, just have to be glad you keep them coming.

Faye Henry said...

What a lovely post.. I always feel better too when the wood is in.. I don't like any other heat compared to it either.. Your photos are glorious as always.. xo

Gwen Buchanan said...

Shelley, Water is like a magnet isn't it? mesmerizing and hypnotizing. Calms the soul. Hi to Black Rose and hope all is well.

Terri, There are moments that are very fulfilling... and the thoughts of the hard work just falls away.

Penny, I feel the same about your posts. Your landscape is amazing.

Faye, Being prepared is a good feeling.. Makes one thankful... and it reminds me of a long list of other things I have to have done. Never a loss of things to do, is there? xo

WILDSIDE said...

Ah, another lovely post up. Thanks, Gwen. Like your idea of an open-slatted woodshed for cover but airflow. Perhaps, I'll incorporate that idea here! Ours are open-sided to cure, then we bring into the garage to keep dry and for easy access in winter, but not much room there & a little paranoid of termites in the wood... Remembering that was a problem when we kept wood in a fully-sided shed...

Like Shelley, I was wondering about Nova Scotia storms & what you saw of them... Just saw a headline about that!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Hi Wildside, New Brunswick was hit much harder than Nova Scotia. and hardest hit of all was the capital of the province. There are still people there and other unfortunate areas of NB still without power for over a week now... down to 13000 connections still to hook up... and many without phones for communication.
Most all the damage to power was from fallen trees in full leaf. Worst ever storm damage in its history to hit the power grid.

Seth said...

These images are really satisfying to the soul Gwen. Thank you!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you Seth. I feels good after a long day of work to sit peacefully and look out at all that calmness.

Carol Steel said...

I loved the photos of the wood. People complain about piling wood and then the lugging of it into the house when needed, but I always cherished those times in my life. The smell of the different kinds of wood, the textures against my fingers and the satisfaction of hard work, well done. In the end the pleasure of sitting by a wood fire on a chilly day made it so special.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Carol, absolutely right! I could not have said it more clearly. There is a closeness with the earth. a cycle....
and speaking of cycles... the bright orange Full Moon was gorgeous last night.

simply blue said...

I haven't visited your blog in awhile....sometimes one gets side-tracked but your photos are stunning as always. You live quite a unique life...thanks for sharing.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you, Searching for the light, Life has a way of evolving in ways we could not ever have foreseen. I think of it as an adventure.

WILDSIDE said...

That's a great way to think, Gwen!

I need to take another look at this post today.

Did you yourself suffer any damage due to that storm?

Sorry to hear it was so bad...

WILDSIDE said...

"What can I say about that Nature out there.... makes a body feel fine...."

Am thinking ought to get back in it! It cures a lot of ills.

Sharmon Davidson said...

Beautiful photos as always, Gwen. And I do know how much work that shed full of wood represents. I hope you're enjoying your summer!

Anonymous said...

You've reminded me I have a pile of foraged wood here to saw up!

Someone once said wood keeps you warm three times over - once when you collect it, once when you saw it up and once when you burn it.

WILDSIDE said...

One more for today!

You are a very interesting person to try & figure out!

All for this moment.

BumbleVee said...

My brother, the mountain man, also has finished getting in his wood for the coming winter. He says he likes to "beat the bugs" as he puts it. Get it before the mosquitoes and black flies get bad... which usually means he's out in the last of the snow getting the first of his wood... and, is finished splitting and piling by now... ... whereas his buddies haven't started yet.... and, of course, now it is so stinking hot where he lives ... they don't want to be out there ..plus, the fires are so bad the air is full of dense smoke...hope they don't burn too close to his place.... every year they have to hope they all stay safe out there ....

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thanks Wildside, besides delaying some jobs we had planned to complete, by a week... and almost melting the food in our freezer... we survived the storm with only a few broken branches. Shows how little control we have on the whole scheme of things.

Thanks Sharmon, with the crazy weather that has slammed the East Coast this past year, we are keeping our fingers crossed for fine days till Christmas... it is too much to ask tho, isn't it? ha.

Sackerson, That saying is so true... and very rewarding when the last piece clunks on the top of the pile.

BumbleVee, I have been listening to the reports on the fires up there.. Fires are so devastating... and terrifying, I hope he will be safe.
Flies, and fires and storms, just to name a few... there is always something to battle. Nature can be so beautiful and so vengeful.

rachel said...

Fond as I am of our little home made woodstore, Gwen, I would LOVE one like yours! It's just superb!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thanks Rachel, They are long lasting so eventually they pay for themselves. John thoroughly enjoyed creating the steel fireshield sculpture that stands behind the LR stove. the wall behind it never gets a bit warm and the fireshield helps to reflect the heat into the room.

Lynne with an e said...

Almost like a Joni Mitchell lyric, "the clouds put on a show for free."
Being a city gal born and bred, it always flabbergasts me, the need to gather wood for winter fires before the summer has barely begun. Good thing I have my own private lumberjack to see to it. Having a woodstove certainly cuts down on our electric heating bills and makes the house cozy. Our woodstove is an ugly beast, breathing its fiery breath in the bowels of the basement. And I do agree with you,Gwen--a woodpile is a thing of beauty.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Lynne, Everyone should have a private lumberjack .. I highly recommend.
... so the earlier it is gathered and stacked for the year, the drier it is and then the hotter it burns.. a friend used to burn wet wood and they had so much creosote, their chimney filled solid.. scary..

ELFI said...

l'été n'est pas encore..et déjà penser à l'hiver... :)))
les photos sont très belles!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Yes Elfi, always have to think two steps ahead.

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Beautiful photos Gwen, of a life that seems perfectly attuned to nature. Such an inspiration.

sandy said...

I've enjoyed catching up here Gwen - your photos are always a visual treat and of course your jewelry and art - loved seeing your new project.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thanks Janice. Never know what nature will dish out.. I'm hoping for a very mild winter this year.

Sandy, Thanks for dropping by to check on us... Too bad we couldn't have a cup of tea.