Yes, we need one of these.

There is of course a huge joy in living somewhere which is actually warm: you get to stay warm for a start. Which is one of the reasons why we moved to where we are: we simply cannot be dealing with the snow, cold and gloom that we went through when we lived in Moscow (that's the one in Russia, not the one in Idaho). However, one of the little things about the world is that places which are generally warm are not always warm: thus the need for a firewood rack.

Yes, of course, this should be obvious, that while a climate may be warmer there is still the cycle of the seasons and so there will be times of year which are colder than others. And it's also true that when you move to such a warmer climate you adjust your expectations: what would be a balmy warm day to a northerner will have us shivering in our overcoats. So being in a "warm" place does not mean that one avoids the need for heating and thus log racks and fireplaces and all the other accoutrements.

But there is more to it than just this. If you're in a traditionally built house in such a warm area (as we are) then the house has been built to deal with the predominant weather: warm. Which means that when it turns cold, as it will do for some small part of the year, the house really isn't built for it at all. No one around here has central heating for example (and absolutely no one has AC) simply because that's not how the houses are built. Which means that we all have great cast iron stoves which we load up with wood for those couple of months of the year when it is cold: and thus the need for a firewood rack. In fact, I just had a tonne of orange wood (from the orchard over the road) delivered and will be, when I've finished this, be loading up the rack with it.

Flipping the central heating switch may be easier, but it's no where near as much fun.