Winter fire's sweet smell

The wood burner is here! As I type this, I can smell the wonderful scent of wood burning just below the space I am sitting. Images of childhood fireplaces filled my mind before I realized they had lit the fire. Our dear friend "farm guy" (the son of our farmer friend and best bud to the Captain since 3rd grade) has very generously lent one to us. It came with his home when he bought it at auction years ago. Never used it, so it sat. And sat. Rusted some and sat some more....

Now it is in it's very appreciative home in our basement. It heat's up to 2500 sq ft and am told it is a higher end model, despite it's age.Not very pretty but I really do not mind it's appearance. i care for it's purpose. Our entire home (walk out basement and actual living area upstairs) total close to 2400 sq ft. That means we an use our basement all year long and I can meddle around working with hand tools and building with wood year round. Yippee!

In preparation of the wood burner's arrival, we had to clean out the chimney, which has sat for at least 7 years. When the metal disc was removed, the space behind it was filled with top soil! I have tried to rationalize why someone would fill the bottom portion with a bag of soil and have an idea. Maybe it was to prevent air/water from coming through the chimney and seeping the basement. Also serving the purpose of protecting the inside from chipping/damage. Hey I never said it is the reason or even a normal rational decision. But being the odd things we have encountered with this place, I would not dismiss it.Little Man helped his daddy clean the soil out by using a hand rake taped to a broom handle. Of course, I would have used the broom but it was the Captain's chore and he can do it any ay he wants- without destroying my tools.

I can not decide if I am more giddy about the immense amount of money to be saved, or how we are depriving a gas company of our hard earned cash for their high prices. We still have water heated by gas, but that is it for gas use. Now if we could just afford Solar panels to "Stick it to the electric man".....

Sweet winter dreams,

~Tammie