Its a comin! Are you ready!?

Yep, fall is here, the leaves are just about gone from the trees...and the weatherman is threatening us with some pretty nasty language.... "Snow" , " Damaging frost" etc. So we have already had our first "heavy freeze" I have already once had to break ice from troughs and rain barrels. *sigh* "IT" is coming. Winter...cold... snow... ice. OK, ok, I will stop with the bad language. For the most part, I like winter. I try to romanticize it so it is a bit easier to handle the dark days, ice covered everything, shoveling snow, cold wet hands and feet... with a warm fire and a soft blanket, snuggled in with a hot cup of coffee. Then the Holidays are coming.. The lights, the smells of sweet treats baking... smiles on peoples faces... Children giggling with anticipation of the fat man in a red suit coming. Yes... even with all of those "happy thoughts" Sometimes I really dread winter. Hauling buckets of water, trudging out in the dark cold morning, barely awake as I drag myself from my warm bed out into a chilly room, rushing to get the fire going to take the chill off. The pantry is filling up nicely....only a few spots left to pack it all in for winter. To get ready for " the big chill" Now that the gardens are finished, we turn our energy to bringing in firewood. LOTS and LOTS of firewood. The persimmon seeds predict a "lot of snow". The farmers Almanac predicts a "lot of snow". The fact that the mice are moving in already, ( or trying to) predicts a " lot of snow" So, yes, we are trying to get in firewood. How much wood do you use? Or do you even use firewood to heat your home? On a "normal" winter we might go through 10 to 12 ricks Last year, we struggled getting firewood towards the end of the winter season.. because we didn't prepare for it. We went through 15 ricks of wood! That might have been because some of the wood was not the "best" for heating with, but this year, we are planning to get at LEAST 15 ricks, hoping to get 20, "just in case" So our days will be busy now, saw dust flying.... aching backs.... and the smell of fresh cut wood filling our senses. Happy Fall everyone... what are you doing to get ready for winters icy grip?