What I didn't know was how many makes, models, shapes and sizes they come in, nor how heavy the darn things can be, but starting with critters first (people second) I began checking everything from Craig's List to salvage yards before running across one that looked a bit like a train. Its cast iron belly and iron plate stove top were the things Westerns are made of. Totally charmed by its character and impressed by its functionality, I couldn't help but wonder, "If the grid went down tomorrow, how much would I love this stove?"
Why I could heat my coffee, fry my bacon, and bake a loaf of bread while warming my entire barn. Starts to make sense how our modern day stovetop /oven combos came to be. I could only imagine the stories this heap of metal could tell and the meals it served up hot to Lord knows who back in the day.
Several phone calls, questions and 5 men to lift the thing and my barn was sporting her first fully functional accessory-- a wood-burning stove so heavy duty it can heat downstairs stalls and tack room, loft, rafters and beyond. (We're talking one hefty stove!)
Yes, it requires flooring sturdier than the flooring we'd intended; and yes, it will require walls or fencing, as that surface is the sort of things goats live to jump on (granted, they'd only do it once, but once would do it.)
With final repairs underway, a roof over their little goat heads and hay in their bellies, next up is heat! While the dogs can't have it cold enough, my goats prefer "toasty" making it a race against time as the girth of each mama-to-be grows in inverse proportion to each drop of the temperature. Next week it's full throttle as we batten up remaining gaps, seal up the tin roof's holes and get the goat nursery ready for a barn full of babies. (If the grid goes down tomorrow, you'll find me with the kids!)
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