Monday, December 04, 2006

KOZI Warm Off the Grid

When we decided to live in a float cabin on Powell Lake, we had to learn new off-the-grid ways of doing everyday tasks. Winter can be challenging on the lake, but one of our favorite times of the year.



We stay warm and snug in our cabin even during snowstorms. Our "KOZI" wood-burning stove keeps the cabin warm day and night (as long as Wayne gets up to stoke it).

Our KOZI doubles as a cooking surface, saving valuable propane for lights and a refrigerator. Using my cast iron dutch oven, I've cooked scrumptious pineapple upside down and apple-raisin spice cakes on top of the stove. Comfort foods are wonderful on a wintry day.

We need lots of wood, so our friend John built us a wood storage float. Here we can cut, split, and store wood all summer so it will be ready for our winter needs.



The wood float keeps the extra weight off our cabin deck, but still makes it handy. I've built a wood storage shelf for the back bedroom. Here we can store enough wood for four days and nights of KOZI fires.



Here's just a sample of how we stay KOZI warm off the grid.

"Debris Field" in Up the Winter Trail tells about some of our wood gathering exploits.

Let us hear about some of your winter stories. -- Margy