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Thursday, January 18, 2024

Woodstove Altar

 


This is the fifth winter that I've been in charge of our outdoor woodstove. You'd think I'd have accepted it by now, but every fall it hits me again.

When I'm crawling into bed and realize I forgot to fill the woodstove, or when I wake up to a cold house and know that the fire went out, or, despite my best efforts, the house is STILL cold, and I'm not sure if the culprit is the fan or the compressor or the thermostat - the woodstove becomes an analogy for all the hard things about widowhood.


I know I'm blessed with brothers and sons that spend hours cutting wood to fill the woodshed. I'm grateful that a few years before his death, Ed had put in a radiant heating system for a cozy house. But that doesn't replace the fact that I still wish Ed was here to pull on his boots on frigid mornings and windy nights and fill the woodstove.

But as the weeks go by, I find my attitude changing. I still don't love this chore, but I learn to accept the task. I find a rhythm of pulling on gloves and boots, crunching over the frozen yard, sliding open the stove door, and heaving wood into the depths.

On clear nights, I flick off the woodshed light and gaze at the stars. I don't do this often enough - take my eyes off earth and my problems and look into the gigantic universe and worship the Creator of it and me.

Then I turn to the gleaming lights of our home. My heart hurts with the longing to keep the ones inside warm and safe.

It is a job too big for a woman who struggles to keep the woodstove filled. But it isn't too big for Him.

And filling the woodstove has become, again, an altar of worship.

This post was written on Instagram. If you wish, you can follow me there @homejoysmom

I began blogging way back in 2008 on Blogger. As new platforms cropped up (Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress), I just kept on Blogspot. 

Fifteen years is a crazy amount of time, and sometimes I wonder if it is time to change. I've struggled the last couple years to find an email provider for the blog that works well. (If you read this blog by email, you may have missed the recipe for brownie batter dip.) Maybe I should switch to Instagram or Substack or some other platform. But I don't want to lose the archives here. And I don't want to be sucked into another time-draining social media platform.

So for now, I'm experimenting and learning over at Instagram, while keeping this site alive. I'd love to hear your input. Are you on Instagram or Substack? What are the pros and cons? If you are reading this, I know you read blogs, but do you think your blog reading will continue?

83 comments:

  1. I read blogs! I'm not on Instagram or Twitter and Facebook is low on my list of communicating. I say keep up the blog.

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  2. That previous comment went up before I could put my name to it. :)

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  3. I read blogs through an RSS reader (feedly). I don’t follow instagram because it’s too automated. The company decides what it wants you to see via algorithm. With feedly, I see just what I subscribe to. I would probably keep reading if you switched to substack, I am always encouraged by your writing.

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  4. I prefer this platform, but I realize that I am in the minority. Thank you so much for the many years you have invested in your blog---and I vote for many more! :)

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  5. I love your blog and have been reading for years - found you when I was searching how to pressure can dry beans and stayed :-) While I really enjoy instagram, I don't find it a great blog replacement because it's not searchable. So it's hard to go back and find that posted recipe or great book list. It's a nice companion to a blog/website as people will see your posts and then be able to follow you over to a more permanent spot.

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  6. I vote for the blog! I don't use social media other than Facebook, and I miss most of what gets posted there. I found your site searching for a recipe for bread using home-ground flour, and I've stayed too. I especially like your book lists.

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  7. I love reading blogs and use an RSS feed instead of email. It makes it a lot simpler and you see as soon as something comes up as well as how long ago a new post was made. I don’t do social media as you said it’s a time sack.

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  8. I do not have instagram and I've never heard of substack. I get your blog posts by email, which is my preference!

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  9. I tried to comment, but it didn't post. I do not use instagram and have never heard of substack. I get your blog posts by email, which is my preference.

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  10. I love your blog. I have been reading it for years. I am not on Instagram and I don't know what substack is, so I would prefer if you kept the blog.

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  11. I read blogs, love the fact that you can write something and it still be there as a comfort later. I have experimented with the other platforms but find they move too fast and take too much time to find what you are looking for ! Lovely to hear about the woodstove as we have the same experience !

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  12. I still don't do Instagram... I've never jumped into Substack either... I love seeing a new post drop into my email from you, and yes, going through the archives for recipes, or book lists, or so forth.

    This post on the wood stove is extremely touching, and a reminder I needed to hear. Thanks for sharing. ❤️

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  13. I read blogs. I have decided, for this season anyway, to avoid Instagram, because I believe I would end up wasting too much time. I hear you about problems with emails, though. I have the same problem with my blog. My daughter is trying to figure out what to do about it.

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  14. Please continue writing your blog. Thank you.

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  15. I like the blog here. I am not on Instagram or Facebook or other social media

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  16. Hi. I have IG but I do like blogs. They’re more personal somehow and more in depth. I understand if you quit “blogging” but I’ll follow you as long as you’re here. Blessings to you and all lonely mothers that fill that wood stove alone... It made me bow in worship and prayer, for me as well as for you.

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  17. In order to limit my screen time and avoid much of social media the blogs are all I subscribe to. I don’t do instagram or tic tic or any of the others and Facebook is used only for the marketplace. I do really enjoy reading your blogs and hope you continue to write them. your

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  18. I agree with the above comment -- that Instagram is a nice companion to a blog but not a great replacement. I miss there not being as many blogs to read these days but I'm not sure that I should even say that out loud, since I rarely post on my blog anymore!

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  19. I always read your blog. I have never had either Facebook or Instagram. I probably miss a lot, but do I really??

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  20. Thanks to all of you for commenting! I wasn't fishing for compliments, seriously! But it is good to know that some of you still like the old fashioned blogs. After fifteen years, blogging is a habit I don't want to totally give up, but I do want to figure out where to use my time best, and I know that sometimes that means moving on.

    I've been blessed with just the best readers and supporters through the years. You are the reason I keep blogging!
    Gina

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  21. I would be very sad if you would stop blogging since I am not on Instagram and would no longer be able to follow. I am always happy to see your post in my inbox. So I vote keep blogging, but I also know that you have to do what works for you.

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    1. Amen. I'm not on IG either so I'd be really sorry to see this space die.

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  22. I love reading blogs and love yours. I dont do Instagram, I dont even understand it! I do prefer email blogs.

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  23. I prefer blogs also. I found your site by looking up a recipe several years ago. I’m not on social media, so I would miss your posts if you would quit blogging.

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  24. I am another one who much prefers a good old-fashioned blog. I try to stay away from social media, but my daughter has an Instagram account and sometimes I enjoy seeing people’s posts through her account. Instagram is very restrictive if you don’t sign in, and that bothers me.

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  25. I agree with keeping the blog, I don't have the other options & do really enjoy your posts. I also understand if you're ready to move on. God bless you in your journey!

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  26. Your blog is certainly my favorite!
    In a way, you’ve been a big sister / mentor to me through it.. Bread baking,sewing ,canning, book lists,simple living, your transparency and humility in living for Christ.

    I want to respect your decisions to do what’s best for you and your family, but you have a wealth of knowledge here that I refer to often, and would greatly miss.Thank you for it!

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  27. I agree with many of the comments - I too love this blog and don't do any other social media...so I appreciate your asking. Know things aren't easy, but love your putting the Lord first and finding Him the sufficient one.

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  28. I hesitate to add more sites at my age (81) and getting your emails has worked well. I like things as they are and enjoy hearing from you.

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  29. I don’t have instagram or anything like that. So my vote would be to keep blogging. 😊 I’m hoping I can send a link for this to my sister in law, who also fills the wood stove… Blessings to you and yours.

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  30. I've read your blog off and on for many years. I got away from blog reading for a while and have recently came back. Honestly, I miss the "old school blogs" and find reading your blog very comforting. It takes me back to a simpler time in my life that I miss. When there wasn't so much going on online. So many options. I hope you stay with it.

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  31. I follow several writers on Substack and enjoy that platform. Won't go to Instagram and got off of FB years ago - quite happily, I may add. Hope to follow your blog for years to come; I use Inoreader as my blog feed.

    Am enjoying the Brighter Winter challenge for the first time this year! Thank you for that.

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  32. I always enjoy reading your blog! I don’t have social media and so this is the only way I can read your updates. Thank you for all the hard work you put in to this!

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  33. I'm not on Instagram or Facebook. I read/follow precious few blogs, but as another Mennonite homeschool mom who loves books, yours "makes the cut." I vote to keep the blog.

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  34. Please keep blogging, otherwise I'll lose you as I am not on social media

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  35. Oh Gina, I would miss your blog so very much if you were to leave. I very rarely use instagram etc. I like to go back over your book reviews as well. I’m much older than you and live on the other side of the world in Australia 🇦🇺 but feel a great connection over the years I have been following you. You are so special and I would miss the friendship we have even though we have never met. Blessings Gail.

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  36. Please do keep blogging! I don't have the other social media outlets either so I'd miss your words...thanks for what you share!

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  37. I love hearing the perspective from you all. I fought being on any kind of social media for years so trying IG is new to me. I love finding that there are more people like me who are trying to minimize their media! Probably my biggest goal in getting on IG is to interact with the younger generation!
    Gina

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  38. We burn wood too and it is tiring… my husband put in a baseboard heater so I can at least “think” before starting the day. Between homeschooling, breakfast, the dog, ect… starting a fire would always be priority (it would be low 50s in the house!). I’m thankful for the baseboard heater! Firewood is exhausting but soooo warm!

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  39. I enjoy your blog very much! I'm not on any social media platforms. So if you say good bye to blogging I would say good bye! So I really hope you decide to keep on for a while yet! At the same time it makes sense that with time change happens! I encourage you to do what you feel led to do...

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  40. Oh, keep blogging! I don’t use Facebook or Instagram. Your book recommendations are my favorite thing about your blog! I love scrolling back through the recommendations in your archives when putting together a thriftbook.com order. I have thoroughly enjoyed many of the books I’ve bought off your lists! - Sherilyn Shirk

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  41. If you need more votes, I'm another who enjoys your blog, but am not on other social media platforms. -CRS

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  42. I follow very few people on Instagram (mainly my children!) as it can really be a distraction. I don't see all your posts but have always enjoyed what you share. I love seeing your sweet family and have ached for all of you. Your blogs remind me to pray for you. Grief is hard work and takes a long time, as I learned from the death of my son. Keep writing and sharing.

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  43. I read blogs, and especially yours. It makes me feel like I'm hearing from a friend.

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  44. I love your blog. I found you years ago. I don’t remember which rabbit I was chasing when I ran across you, but I could see you were a kindred spirit. This is the platform I prefer. I have an instagram account, but I rarely look at it.

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  45. Hi Gina,
    I love your blogs and my whole family participates in the reading challenges you share. We've enjoyed so many books we wouldn't have discovered otherwise! I don't use any platforms outside of email
    ( and WhatsApp to talk to my daughter). If at all possible please don't move!
    Best wishes from UK

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  46. Gina, please keep it the way you have it. I see your blog through my email. I won’t do instagram anymore because I kept getting people I didn’t know or want following me. When I get your email I usually click the link to take me to your blog site to read. I don’t know anything about sub stack. We heated our home totally with wood for 20 years. It is a chore, but does get you lots of exercise. I love looking up into a bright beautiful star filled sky. It is awesome in all its wonder especially on a crisp cold night.

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  47. Please keep the blog! I am not on Instagram. I love to read your posts!

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  48. I’m not on other social media platforms, so I really enjoy reading blogs. I’ve referred to your booklists on here repeatedly and probably will continue to do so.

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  49. I’m not on social media, so I still like reading blogs. Keep it up! I’ve referred to your book lists repeatedly.

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  50. Lucy Marie ZimmermanJanuary 19, 2024 at 7:39 AM

    Beautifully written. I do enjoy reading the emails from ladies like you, who still blog. I have an IG account but barely use it, so I know I would miss most of your posts, most likely. I do not, however, understand the technical side of blogs. I WOULD say, that if it's too much of a struggle and headache, I would not think you're obligated to keep it up. 🙂

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  51. Gina, one of my earliest memories is hearing my dad fill the basement wood furnace. I am praying for you, in this long, hard, cold winter, as you keep your family warm and protected. I don’t have IG and I don’t know what substack is- I would be sad if this blog would end but as you know, it’s your decision. May God direct you🙏

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  52. I offer another vote for the blog platform! I don't subscribe; I just check your blog when I have time to treat myself (that's just what works best for me in my own time management) - just to let you know you have many more devoted readers that may not show up in the subscriber lists.

    I do understand your thoughts on expanding to IG to reach out to the next generations, and your need to prioritize your time commitments. I find IG very appealing, but more for "short burst" thoughts and pictures. I follow blogs for the writing, and often a better depth of community. You're an excellent writer, and I love how your blog posts offer a good format as you lead us through your thoughts and leave us with spiritual (and practical) encouragement. Whatever you decide - it's kind of you to ask us!

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  53. Gina, your writing always challenges, inspires, and blesses me. My husband survived a major stroke five years ago, and has recovered 99%. We are so grateful for God's healing, and I often think how blessed I am that he can still be the caretaker of our woodstove!
    I have enjoyed your blog for many years, especially the book recommendations and reading challenges. And the sourdough recipes:)
    I don't use social media either, other than Whatsapp for extended and faraway family.
    God bless you and yours with abundance.

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  54. I enjoy getting your emails from your blog. Some other platforms people use have ads and I don't care for that.

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  55. I love your blog and I’m so glad to have found it years ago. As an Instagram and Substack user, I think you’d really enjoy Substack. You can keep the same feel as the blog but it’s easier to use. I find it way more intuitive than blogspot or Wordpress. You can ask your readers to either sign up to get emails or just email you and you can add them as subscribers yourself. Then they’ll get emails every time you post and won’t have to navigate a new platform.
    Google won’t let me log in to give a user name, but I hope this is helpful!
    -Jenny

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  56. I have been reading your blog for probably 11 or 12 years. Every time your blog posts shows up in my email it makes me happy! I don't use Instagram and I never heard of Substack before. But like others said, blessings to you as you do what you feel works best!

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  57. I love checking your blog! Widowhood brings so many challenges when there is only one person to do the job of two. Things like fixing the toilet, car maintenance, and parenting are now only for me to figure out. Your blog encourages me, and I hope you keep it! My house has electric heat, but I can sort of relate when my old dog needs to go out to in the middle of the night. He doesn’t care if it is freezing.

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  58. I don't do Instagram or Substack. I have a Facebook account but don't check it once a month. I like your posts coming to Mr by email. - Frieda

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  59. I enjoy reading your blog & don't have IG & never heard of substance. Love your book reviews since I enjoy reading & also have a small library next to my house that I stock & manage.

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  60. I'll always read your blogs . . . I'm not on social media anymore, so I'd really miss your writings . . . Please stay! - Aimee Stauffer

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  61. I've been blogging for 13 years! And on Instagram for a few (?) years. I enjoy both. Instagram is good for sharing photos and quick messages, but I still prefer my blog for longer posts. Unfortunately, I don't get much time to read other people's blogs :(

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  62. I like to read it here or on Facebook. I know you aren't on there but it's just easier for me. I don't twitter. I am first year widow and hear you loud and clear about the wood burner. We can do it. This year I have learned to be so dependent on God. I can't do this without Him. My husband was sick for a long time and then he passed. Before that my parents died, a nephew, sister and brother in law. Plus I had a health crisis. Yes, God still cares about me. He has my full attention now. Now I am working on what to do with this new life. Wish God would just call me and tell me!! God bless you!

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  63. I have a list of blogs I follow, and there's some I used to follow that I miss since they no longer keep them up. I always read yours; I hope you'll stay!

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  64. I have been reading your blog for years, and appreciate that I can access you here. Thank you for sharing your life!

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  65. I'm 12 and I go to your blog!!

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  66. I vote for me to keep reading your entries via this blog. I don't know how many years ago I "stumbled" upon this blog. I have followed and enjoyed all your "diary" entries. I have a friend in you I have never met. Because of this blog, I am doing Brighter Winter Reading Challenge for the first time. God bless you in your role of caring for your family without your companion. I can't imagine how difficult some of the days have been. But, I can pray for you!

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  67. I always appreciate your thoughts and I've been so inspired by reading your blog in the last few years. I don't participate in social media because, however many limits I put on it, I find that it changes the way I think. My thoughts fracture, and I find myself wondering what's going on in "that world." I need to be grounded in my own. So I appreciate the "slower" pace (ha!) of a simple blog. However you decide to share your thoughts, readers will be blessed and you'll find conversations and community, I'm sure. -- Mary Kathryn

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  68. Hi Gina. I've also just recently found your blog within the last 6 months. I truly enjoy it and echo the other ladies' comments when I say I wouldn't want you to stop posting here. I've shown my daughter the Brighter Winter's reading challenge, and she's doing it along with you all. I've also started reading again.
    We just passed our father and husband's 3rd birthday in heaven with the Lord Jesus. So difficult, but we are so thankful for the time we had with him.
    I can totally relate to the woodstove, but my heat source is a nearly 60 year old boiler that's having heating issues during a recent cold snap in NY. The Lord has kept it chugging along though. ❤️Ruth

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  69. Keep it SIMPLE—stay where you are!! ❤️

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  70. Another vote for the blog... although I'm on instagram and enjoy it, I too prefer the blog for the more in-depth writing. You are a gifted writer and your words resonate with me and encourage me as you share honestly about your grief journey, which I am also experiencing. Thank you for sharing your life experiences and words of hope with us!

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  71. I have been following you for many years and yours is the only blog I read. I don't get any email notifications about new posts but I remember, sometimes weekly sometimes only every couple of months to go to your site and catch up on all I've missed since I was last here. I reference your recipes often, many have become my own favorites, and that always keeps me.coming back! I don't have IG. I so enjoy all of your posts!!

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  72. PLEASE keep the blog! I don't use social media so I wouldn't be able to keep up with posts.

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  73. I'll join the voice of the crowd and beg you to keep blogging. I do have IG, but it's a noisy place. I like how your blog allows me to focus on one thing at a time.

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  74. oops. That last comment went without my name=/ Rebecca Weber

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  75. Hi Gina! I do not remember how I found your blog many years ago. I remember you posting about births of some of your babies and the hats you made, keeping a strawberry patch, and your family camping trips, your family gatherings to make doughnuts or hog time and the recipes of what you did with it all... to name a few. I am not on Substack or I.G. I would continue to read your blog posts here. I just came back today to look up a White Chicken Chili, so I didn't have to get the thick book of printed recipes from blogs down from the shelf. I have made many of your family recipes over the years. I have enjoyed Zucchini Fritters and the Zucchini Pie. The one thing I find interesting is the outside wood stove. The woodstove we had when I was a child was in our living room. What is an outside woodstove?

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    1. Thanks for being a long -time reader!
      An outdoor woodstove heats up water, then the water is piped into the house to warm the house. The advantage of an outdoor woodstove is that the dirt from the wood isn't in your house. Plus you don't have the fire hazard in your house. The disadvantage is that if the electricity turns off, the circulator doesn't work, so the heat can't come into the house.
      Gina

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  76. Dear Gina, please keep the blog here, if you want to contoniue blogging. Like so many others that have commented here, I don't use Instagram or anything else of the common social media platforms. And I would be very sorry if I couldn't read your blog entries any more! :-)
    However, please, do not feel pushed to keep up with this way of blogging if you feel you need a change. Or if you'd like to stop blogging altogether at some point... I think we, your readers, all would understand.
    Your blog has been a blessing to my life since I've found it. So many times your thoughts here helped me - starting with new cooking recipes up to getting closer to God.
    May the Lord be with you, always.

    Mary

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  77. I've enjoyed your blog for many years even though I live in Canada and am not Mennonite.I am not on instagram just facebook and wish there was a way I could share your posts there.

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  78. I’m on Instagram and will continue reading on whatever platform you choose.

    I wanted to give you an update on the young widow of my thirty-nine year old nephew that I wrote to you about a few months ago. I told you that she had rejected God and was speaking about ending her life. She has found a job, is also opening a health related business with her family, and is finally spending time with family and friends. Her faith hasn’t returned to where it was before, but our Lord is working in her life.

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  79. I love this blog and come back here at least once a week to search for tried and true recipes. I've been a reader for many many years. If I'm looking for a recipe for something, I always check here first! I am not a fan of other social media but if you move I will make an effort to follow. I would be very sorry to lose your recipe archive!

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  80. Ooh, I am maybe alone in being excited that you are on Instagram! I have mostly stopped reading blogs like I used to, but do check in on yours from time to time. I’d certainly see all of your wonderful posts sooner on Instagram. Either way, thank you for all the years you’ve shared with us.

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