I think they had a big stockpile already, and my brother would also chop wood to contribute to heating the place
I remember going up north to my great grandparents’ house as a child. It was way up in the north woods, and they lived on a sizable piece of property so it was a lot of fun to get to run and play in the forest with no one else around. We usually went in the summer time, since my siblings and I were off of school, but once in a while we visited over winter break instead. I remember the visits vividly, especially the fact that we used an old fashioned fireplace for heat. I think the house was equipped with an old furnace or boiler system, but since it hadn’t been serviced by an HVAC technician in years and was probably about 30 years old itself, we played it safe and didn’t turn on the heater. It was charming to use a fireplace, considering the woodsy and old timey setting we were in. There was also plenty of firewood to use to fuel the fireplace, since we were surrounded by tall forests. I think they had a big stockpile already, and my brother would also chop wood to contribute to heating the place. I’m sure they didn’t like it as much as I did for that reason, but I really loved using the old fireplace myself. It felt so different from our suburban home life, and although it was inconvenient not to have a thermostat at our disposal, I think it added to the experience. I think it’s so funny how a crackling fireplace can become a lifelong memory.