good news is that I often came back with a fresh load of firewood.
Because these events occur mainly in the winter, there is snow to deal with. So, while you are cutting up the tree, the snow is falling and probably drifting— hence the need for the shovel to dig your truck out.
When you finally clear the road and arrive back home, home is dark and likely starting to get cold. That’ s when you bring into play two other necessities for life in the woods: a wood stove and kerosene lamps.
I like central heat— and I did have a propane furnace— but it was my woodstove that provided security, as well as warmth. I would come in from clearing the road and, of course, the electricity would be out. The furnace won’ t work without it, so the cabin was dark and cold. But the lamps lit right up and I could get a fire going in the stove in short order.
Once, I got my fingers thawed out, I could open a can of soup, pour it in a pan, and set it on the wood stove along with a kettle of water for tea. Before too long I would be enjoying a warm meal by lamp light on a frosty evening. The payoff for all this effort and misery is watching the snow fall in the forest, surrounded by a profound quiet, interrupted only by the occasional popping of a hickory log in the stove.
So, there it is. A little bit about the trials and pleasures of living in Brown County. Is it worth it? I sure think so. And maybe next time I will write about surviving suicidal possums and kamikaze deer. And I will tell you how to prepare and enjoy fresh roadkill. Brown County is a fine place to live— you just have to know how to survive. •
SIPPIN’ TRIP continued from 53
The engaging host, along with the several sips of good red wine, cast a spirit of joy and camaraderie over the diverse group. He retrieved samples from wooden barrels in a little spout, a process that somehow makes the sip more alluring— it’ s like you’ re getting away with something!
The bus is back at the Visitor Center by 2:30, leaving plenty of time for an afternoon of shopping or walking around Nashville, or a quick nap before an evening out. The cost of the tour is $ 55. The Sippin’ Trip experience is fun-filled, enlightening, and down-right delicious! For more information about Sippin’ Trips, visit < browncounty. com / tours > or call( 812) 988-7303. •
Fresh- Picked Skin Care
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Sept./ Oct. 2019 • Our Brown County 61