It has been one strange week here. On Sunday I was awash with disappointment as the chance to travel to California with Alex slipped from our hands. On Monday, I made no plans. Good thing, because the next three days were spent nursing an ill Lillian and surviving the ice storm. She tested positive for strep and has a viral cough on top of that. Today she is still home from play dates and school recovering with a low fever and icky cough.

Amazingly, I am not stir crazy. Instead, this week gave me five new reasons to appreciate my simple life and home:

1) Chickens: Our girls and their need for care in the winter motivated me to step outside the house each day, something I admit I might not have done otherwise. I slip-slided my way to their coop to refill water and give treats at least twice a day, absorbing sunlight and breathing fresh air as I went.

2) Real Chores: To keep the fire going, I moved wood in the house. I washed dishes, did laundry, and cooked real food. Though they may seem like simple tasks, when addressed mindfully, keeping house was rewarding for me.

3) Food stores: We have a lot of food in this house. Dozens of jars of home canned fruits and vegetables sit in the basement alongside pounds of flour and a freezer full of meat. Though icy branches creaked and breakers burst, I knew we could stay inside and eat well for many days, probably even weeks.

4) Warmth: In the afternoon each day this week I started a fire in our wood stove. It wasn't easy because our most recent delivery of wood is entirely big pieces and the ice prevents me from splitting it. But I did get fires going, leaving me confident that even if the electric power failed in the ice storm I could keep Lil and I warm.

5) Support: Friends and family overwhelmed me with offers of assistance this week. There were phone calls, facebook and twitter conversations, and food delivered. I am so grateful for the virtual and in person encouragement.

Alex was the only thing missing this week and he returns this evening to complete our loving home.

PS. Are you on the Hounds in the Kitchen newsletter list? There's a simple sign up form to the right. I'm making a big announcement there next week!

We live in an early 20th century house with a brick hearth and built in bookcases. I have always wanted such a set up and loved it for two years. But last winter, I couldn't ignore what was missing: a fireplace.

These houses were built to hold gas burning units, as evidenced by the gas key hole in the floor. I'm not a huge fan of gas heat, though it runs our furnace, because gas is an unsustainable resource. It's also seriously expensive.

Wood is renewable. In a high efficiency stove, wood is an efficient heat source. Free wood is often available on craigslist or freecycle and building a woodpile is simple.

So last winter, in February, we were able to score a wood stove that fits our hearth on clearance at our local Sutherlands. We were unsure of the quality of our chimney so we bought pieces for a chimney liner at the same time.

We hired friend Leonard to help install the liner and stove. He and Alex had to do a fair amount of modification to fit the woodstove in our small space, including placing the unit slightly off center in the opening. This does bother my sense of order, but I can tolerate it for the wonderfully warm heat that fills our house from this tiny stove.

Last night, the temperature dropped to mid 30s overnight. Alex lit a fire in the early evening, adding logs every hour or so until he went to bed at midnight.

When I woke up this morning, heat was still emanating from the fireplace and there were still hot coals. Mmmm....toasty warm! We have yet to turn on our furnace this year.

A few weeks ago, I attempted to start a fire on my own. I sadly couldn't do it. I do not have the natural affinity for fire that Alex does and I always defer to him to start campfires and get the wood stove going.

I practiced under his eye for a few nights. This evening, night one of his business trip to California, I made the fire myself!

There is more pleasure to come from this wood stove. In early 2011 when I prepare taxes, I will be able to take a credit for 30% of our purchase price through the American Recovery Act. This credit, which applies to new stoves purchased and installed in existing homes, expires December 31, 2010.