Why aren't more people doing this? Because it kinda sucks. , I have to break the ice on the dog's water bowl first thing in the morning. The fires must keep burning all day and all night to keep precious food stores from freezing. 3 days ago the roads became passable again after 3 feet of snow dumped on us. For 14 days we had nursed our firewood, food and propane stocks. Solar production came to a stand still. We ran out of battery power and so relied on gas and diesel gennys for basic needs. The animal tenders were slogging through snow and mud to get barn chores done. It ain't no picnic.