It that time of year again. Last night we had our first fire of the year.
Prepping
We’d have had the first fire a few days ago during a cold spell, but we weren’t ready for it.
Because of our work completely the “great room” there was now insulation surrounding the chimney pipe as it ran through the attic. I brought a ladder in for Julie who climbed up and moved it away and placed a barrier around it. Heaven knows we don’t need another house fire!
I also spent the day getting firewood prepared. My dad has had piles of old lumber in the yard for years, and so this served the dual purpose of cleaning up the yard and getting ready for winter fires. I used the tractor to pick up the piles of lumber and move them over next to the chop saw where I sorted through lumber that was to be burned and that which was still usable as lumber. The former was cut into pieces and the latter stacked again to be moved and covered. (We’re going to want it to build a chicken coop next spring.) Kids came home from school and stacked it neatly on a pallet near the back door, ready for use.
We were ready to go!
Scorching
And, as expected, that first fire made it unbearably hot in 1/2 the house. Julie of course was thrilled. She sat down in front of the fireplace and labeled it “the best spot in the house.” She even coaxed Bella to come over and sit with her, telling her that it will probably be her favorite place too.
Meanwhile, I was turning on fans and trying to get the heat to dissipate. The furnace had been on when we started the fire, so the house wasn’t cold to start with. But I knew that the added heat of the fire was going to make it scorching. I was right. Within 30 minutes of striking the first match I was starting to sweat. Julie was still in a jacket and blanket.
It’s going to be a hot winter for me I’m afraid.
Hahaha