It’s a windy 44 degrees at the White Wolf Mine on Arizona’s Mogollon Rim at 7,493′ above sea level. I’m expecting about 6″ of new snow and construction continues but the fireplace wall in the great room is finally complete and the wall around it is painted.
It’s a 72″ TV. Not the biggest. Donated by my loving daughter to the hovel when she upgraded to an 86″ TV. Yes, it’s a bit higher than is ideal for viewing, but I don’t watch that much TV.
I’m using the opportunity to place a few books on the shelves on this quiet Sunday. This set up should hold about 1/3 of my books. There is another book case in the den, but it still isn’t enough space. I’m culling, sifting and deciding on which books make the grade and which books remain boxed in the garage. I may donate some books to the library in Payson (about an hour’s drive south of me). Payson characterizes itself as a ‘mountain community’, but they’re 3,000 feet lower than I am, up on the Rim.
The fare for dinner is bowtie pasta with pesto sauce and cherry tomatoes, and panko chicken, with a green salad.
Like the design of that wall.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you like the TV screen at that height.
If you are kicking back in a recliner or seated on a couch or chair and have your feet up on a hassock the screen at that height is much more comfortable than what most people think of as the "ccorrect" height for a screen.
Just curious, did that stone in your fireplace come from your property?
I need another book case too.
Looks very nice.
Is that a fireplace insert that acts more like a stove, or is a pellet-burning unit?
Looking good! And you DO need a bigger bookcase!
Thank you, WSF
The bandwidth at the WWM is such that the TV won't work until I get the satellite up. I think that the screen height will work. Hope it will work. Keep in mind that the bottom of the TV is over 6' above the floor.
No. It would have been cool if they'd cut the stone from ALL THE ROCK that we blasted out to get a basement, but it didn't. I'm not sure where it came from.
It's a wood stove with a blower that's inserted. It warms up the upstairs quite nicely once it gets burning. But it eats wood. I figure that I need around three cords to get set up for next winter if it's anything like this past one.
I have a basement for guests (two bedrooms, one bathroom and a great room in a walk-out plan) and I have some shelving down there. I just need to decide what sort of books to put in it. Likely catch as catch can from whatever isn't upstairs.
Everybody and their brother (and Fathers, etc) out here uses pellet stoves, and swear by them. Our DIL's brother has one in his place, and even with people go in and out the front door and back sliding door, it kept the place toasty warm on a 15* day.
He says under those circumstances, or when it was -10* with 30 MPH winds, he expected to use about one bag of pellets in 24 hours.
Looks like Dante's Inferno inside when it's going full-bore, but holy smokes does it through out the heat!
And a whole bag of pellets *might* make one cup of ash. I was amazed they burned so clean.
Went through my book case the other day and removed fifty-seven books of the "Why Did I Buy This?" category.
Now I have five or six empty shelves. Time to buy more books!
I'm with you on pellet stoves. And it took moving here to come to an understanding that it is the way to go. I want to put one in the garage this summer so that I can work out there this coming winter. It's just too cold to do any prolonged work in the shop without some extra form of heating. I expect that I will also put one in the basement.
For me, there is so much to do in order to "fix" some of the things that are lacking – the lack of pellet stoves are a case in point. That it's a bit overwhelming at the moment. My general contractor on this project was and remains about as useless as tits on a boar hog.
The litmus test for books that get shelved is "would I read this again?" And while it looks as if there are a lot of books shelved, they all met that test. Those that have not made the cut, are in boxes for a second review. Eventually I'll get this all under control.
Lots of books and a fireplace! All I need is a coffee pot, and I might just disappear for a few days
Nice work and a reminder to cull the library or get more shelves or both. Problem is, I hate getting rid of books, but how many yards of spurious scyfy do you really need?
Beautiful.
Around here, books outnumber pretty much everything including most of the hardware (nuts and bolts). When I retired, I brought home another bookshelf full and had to throw out some of my 40 year old college textbooks to replace them with only 20 year old textbooks.
Looks like something out of a magazine. 🙂
And while Payson is 3,000 feet below you, that still puts them 4,000 feet above sea level. Give or take a mile or two…
Nice!
Always helps to see concrete progress.
-Kle.
Looks like a good spot to winter. Enjoy.
Looking good Boss!
That's the concept.
I'm doing both, with emphasis on more shelves. It's difficult for me to toss a book, LSP. It's like tossing ammo-for-the-mind.
Oh, yeah.
I'm quite a way above sea level, but what with the threat of global warming and melting ice caps, I could be beach-front before you know it if you listen to the progressive movement.
Building a home from scratch has been a bigger problem/project than I envisioned. Hopefully we're done by this summer – 2 years later.
Spring, summer and autumn are better because of fishing and more outdoor activities. The snow cuts off a lot of the mountain roads – they're impassable. And to be fair, yes, I could chain the tires and winch myself along, but there's not much fun in that, and the roads get rutted and destroyed.
I'm still not fully acclimated to the elevation, particularly when it comes to walking up and down hills. I huff and puff like the wolf of legend, blowing down houses of straw or sticks.
I'd really like to put one in the garage, but it would involve some serious moving of things around out there to fit it in.
Maybe this summer…..
It supposedly takes 4~6 weeks to get accustomed to the altitude, or at least that's what the Doctors up here tell me.
You're up at about where the homestead for the in-laws is, and I still puff a bit when I exert myself up there, but not nearly as bad as when we first moved here after living 35 years at sea level.
Books are to me as shoes were to Imelda Marcos. It's not that I'll necessarily re-read them because I rarely do that, but I do often use them for reference. The internet is faster, I know, but nothing replaces the feel of a book.
I think that summer is a good time to do those things.
I agree. Particularly when your feet are up and there is a good fire going. Might you nap? Certainly not, but it is acceptable to rest your eyes. I keep a playing card in the book for reference…
I've been here about ten weeks, so the only answer would be that I'm somewhat out of shape. BUT WE KNOW IT CAN'T BE THAT.
Winter will do that to you. Just wait until the grandkids are there this summer!
I have all 8 grandkids coming at the end of this month.
That shall pass. I only get winded when I move now after 39 years.
Now that's a GREAT TV to be watching Game of Thrones on next month. Good timing, LL! I do believe I can see one of my books in that bookcase. I better be right cos if you've donated it to charity you might have to be looking over your shoulder of a wet, dark and windy evening….
Very nice crocheted blanket there too. This is a great indoor hobby when it's baltic cold outside and crochet hooks come in very handy as tools for unwanted visitors and prizing open bottle tops. You're welcome.
I think that there are TWO of your books on that shelf. There will be a third one when you decide to get back to work.
I like wool afghans. They are warm and cozy and You can curl up in them in front of the fire and think sweet thoughts.
I wonder if the pellet stove works better in some areas of the country than others. I've had two friends that had them, and 'yes' they worked really well until the power went out… Neither are in the back of beyond, but power outages are frequent enough to make it miserable without heat. The price of pellets there was much higher than the dead falls they could cut. But pellet. sounds like it might be the way to go where you are
The best woodstove I ever had was a Norwegian one with an exposed chimney pipe, that stood in front of a brick wall. I could crank that sucker down and one good piece of oak would keep the whole story & a half toasty on the coldest of nights.
Brig, I have a propane generator on the property. Yes, pellet stoves require electricity for their igniter and their fan. They also have a working thermostat. That's important if the stove is in proximity to a car/truck/jeep, etc. because wood stoves, if not closely attended, can blister the paint on the rig.
I agree that a wood stove, properly stoked, is inexpensive, effective and very desirable.
I cut wood on the property to feed the fireplace, which is actually a wood stove, cleverly disguised.
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