Over the most recent two decades of my life, woodstoves have featured heavily in 17 of those years. We had a couple of years in our house on the Canadian border without a woodstove, and about six months in the rental house we first lived in in New Mexico didn't have one, either. But otherwise, I have built hundreds of fires to heat our homes both in New York and New Mexico.
Our woodstove in New York would hold a fire overnight, so it wasn't always necessary to build one every morning. But our woodstove here doesn't do that. I have to build a fire every morning. This is almost always my task, because I get up so much earlier than everyone else.
Looking at the weather forecast for today, I saw 48 degrees overnight and a high of only 59 degrees, with rain, for today. That, to me, spelled out "first fire" just as clearly as if it were in the forecast itself.
Accordingly, I spent some time yesterday cleaning up around the woodstove. I had to clear away all the things that had accumulated around the stove--the apple scrap vinegar that was fermenting, water jugs, empty ice cream buckets, etc.--and then vacuum off the woodstove itself and the area around it. It always gets very dusty over the summer.
The interior of the stove was cleaned out after the last fire, so that was ready. I had to shift the liquor cabinet from its summer position closer to the woodstove (and clean the cabinet and the area around it, because gross) to its winter position further over so there would be room for the wood rack.
Last, I gathered together everything I would need to start the fire: kindling that was still scattered in the area where the boys chop it for me in the winter, small pieces of wood, a box, and paper. I bring all of this in overnight so it won't be damp when I have to start the fire.
10 comments:
That must be so cozy on a cold morning!
We will have to do storm windows, but not for a while as October usually has some surprise hot days near the end. And snow on Halloween, but as I like fresh air when I can have it, the storms won't go down for a while yet.
> they like to see their math burn.
Bahahaha!
Main winter preparations happening now are just me locating and acquiring winter gear for the children. I think I only need one more pair of snow pants!
Oh, that reminds me I need to go though snow gear and donate the too small stuff. It's sad to see the little mittens and snow suits go!
We turned on our heat for the first time yesterday! But it's off again as the warm Minnesota fall has decided to return! Mary in MN
I remember my mom starting the fire in a potbelly stove we had in the kitchen. It was so nice to wake up to a toasty room to eat breakfast. Thanks for bringing back the good memory.
I had to get out a blanket to supplement the comforter and sheet. Not nearly as romantic (or messy or involved) as wood-burning. — Karen.
Earlier this summer I had the professionals clean the chimney, which wasn't bad, but it's good to have it properly done. B. has cut lots of wood on the lakeshore, and it is piled in back. The woodstove has been polished and is ready to go, so probably Blackrock is on about the same schedule as NM.
I can smell and hear that fire!!
I have to get the flannel sheets out. I'm not quite ready to put them on the beds because we'll probably have a few warm days yet, but they're up in the attic so I should dig them out.
What a good mom you are to warm up their clothes, even if it’s not totally for their benefit. You, however, get to get up to a cold house. Not my cut of tea at all.
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