Wood stoves are pretty nice to have. I had one in my house but I turned that room into a bird roomWe live quite rural too in an area that isn't used to snow. We have the same sketchy power lines with scary trees dangling over them. Lucky for us we have a standing invitation by a friend up the road who has a wood stove and is critter friendly. At least the power goes out on a consistent basis (aka we can tell when it's likely to go) so we turn the heat up and hunker down. Our policy is that when the tort tanks dip to 65 we are hopping in the car, bring our best bottle of wine, some board games and visiting friends.
We just got approved to buy a house though and it has great chimneys so I see a wood stove or two in my future.