With the delightful white season lasting several months, wood-burning fireplaces become increasingly important to us as autumn progresses.

Records indicate that more than 40 cord (dump trucks) of wood were burned each winter. By contrast, during the very cold winter 2004, we burned 22 cord of wood in the fireplaces and in our efficient wood furnace. For some unknown reason, heat from wood permeates the Inn with warmth better than with oil heat. Two brick central chimneys also radiate warmth effectively. Some of our winter baking is done in the wood-burning beehive oven.

During earlier days, using manual labor and horses, the men were kept busy for weeks each year. We now realize that some things haven't changed much.

The horses…