The Winter Shed

[dougd]

Some where around 17 years ago I built a 9' x 9' baker style shed in the back 40 of my 5+ acres with a half round fire pit. Even when it's well below zero, -22 was the record, when the fire is going hard one needs to shed a layer or two. Nothing fancy, rough cut lumber and lots of trees around it to break the winds and the sucker has had up to 4' of snow on its noggin and still hasn't fallen. But, I neglected it for the last few years. I finally spent a few weekend days trimming, pruning, grunting, moving and swearing...lots of that.. to get it back in shape. One more day should see it all good for this winter. Yeah, a winter shed, ticks are too thick in the spring, summer and early fall to hang there. Enough firewood for the next year or two. A few pics.

 

[gumpus]

Very nice. Maybe the ticks are just attracted to the wallpaper.

 

[Iskweo]

Winter for sure...I would be nervous striking a match there in the summer. My firepit area needs a total rework. I made mine out of bricks and it just soaks up the heat instead of radiating.

 

[Odyssey]

I think your shed was playing the shame game, kicking you in the pants and tugging at your heart, whispering through the dust and dereliction "Use it or lose it...". Good choice Doug. You'll thank yourself this winter as the flames lick the logs and you bask in the glow of all that hard work in front of a warming fire. Hope you have a grill over that fire for coffee pot and frypan. That big tree out front is asking for a winter bird feeder.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

My son and I have talked about doing something similar to use as a warming shed in deer season and as a winter week-end hang out. There is an old woodshed we have used before during winter but not close enough to the shooting lanes and it needs a lot (whole lot) of work. That's one of the great things about retirement, I can take my time fixin' or buildin'

 

[clemency]

Have flask. Will travel.

 

[Guest]

I am envious of your campfire “”Baker Shed”, and wish I had enough clear property to build something similar.

I might skip the frou-frou flowered wallpaper on the back wall, and try not to leave skid-marks in the folding camp chair, but I love the idea of a permanent open-front Baker Shed, fire pit and wood supply in the back forty. With no wood stove to heat the house anymore you needed a place to burn scrap lumber and limbs. I might have to drive up for a visit after tick season.

I wonder how that on-its-last-legs wicker chair would blaze set atop the fire?

Many moons ago I had friends with a 200 year old farmhouse that had a separate “summer kitchen”, a stand-alone outbuilding with the biggest, deepest fireplace I have seen. On fall weekends there we would go yard sale shopping for used cheap wood furniture. dang it was fun to watch that stuff catch in the massive fireplace. Wood bureaus, chests of drawers, kitchen cabinets, old chairs.

It was extraordinarily contemplative to watch that stuff catch, blaze, turn red embered glowing but still structurally intact and fall apart bit by bit. $5 for a battered chest of drawers? How ‘bout $2, and a buck for that 3-legged high back wooden chair? Load ‘em up.

We did manage to set fire to the wood mantle with a too-big vintage varnish blaze one time; the mantle was a giant piece of rough hewn wood, probably circa the late 1700’s.

There are other summer kitchen tales of winter nights in the early ’70s, perhaps best left untold.

 

[dougd]

Mr. McCrea, there are no skid stains on the folding chair just sun drenched faded stains! AND that wicker chair is going to get a new bottom put on it this winter, it's very comfortable and I would miss it although the thoughts of burning it have entered my pea brain more than once!

Iskweo, I would never burn down there in the summer, fall or spring. Not only because it tick heaven back there but it's an old hay field and that would go up like a torch! I only go down after first snowfall.

I planted most of the trees that were tiny around the back of the shed and they took off like crazy making a good windbreak and yes that "beautiful flowered wallpapered" barrier which came from the kitchen of the Humble Hovel in the first rebuild is nothing more then paneling but it helps as well. It really is a sweet place to hang out on a cold winter night and I swear it heats up nice and toasty. I know most of my friends who have spent time back there enjoy the hell out of it and although there are no steadfast rules it goes without saying no cell phones or music, just the snapping of burning wood and the wind through the trees to listen to!

dougd