Keeping the Home Fires Burning

I’ve never had a camp fire, where every boy and man around didn’t poke the fire continually.  Poke it, move it, adjust it with ‘the’ stick.  I’ve learned, go ahead ladies, nod your head, this is just what ‘they’ do.  It probably goes back to the cave man days of conquering fire and I’m really okay with it, it seems I’ve even gotten use to it.  In fact, I’ve gotten so use to it, that this is what I’ve been thinking My Loving Spouse has been doing for the last month with our wood stove.  He’s been poking it a lot and he does have ‘the’ stick (official iron stove poker) right there to help him.

It turns out he has actually, just been trying to keep us warm.  (Wood stove=heat)  I know, because he’s been gone on business for two days and it has come down to me to keep The Teen and I from becoming two tall ice cubes.  I am really not very good at being the proactive fire poker person.  I’d have to say my style so far has been completely reactive.  “Hmmm”, I say, “why am I cold?  Oh, (bad British word) the darn fire again.”  Where I jump up grab ‘the’ stick and start to poke it, add wood and stir.  I am sure I will get better at this, but so far it is a bit of work.

One of my biggest ‘city’ moments was when I found out we didn’t have gas, natural gas all piped in and ready for my enjoyment.  It was actually after we’d bought the house, when I found out.  The impressively educated dialog went something like this,

“What do you mean we don’t have gas?”

“Well, it doesn’t come out that far.”

“Do you mean, that we don’t have gas?”

“No, we don’t have gas.”

“So, does this mean we don’t have any gas?”

There are few ‘set it and forget it’ life situations out here and we or rather me/I am learning to do things differently, but I do miss gas.  So, I am learning to poke the fire and clean up the lite bits of ash dust that seem to travel everywhere, as well as the bits of wood and dirt that fall off the fuel on their way to the stove.  A note to all visitors, come and enjoy the warmth of our home, but leave the white glove behind.

All in all, I am grateful…

grateful that men and especially My Loving Spouse have been hard-wired to poke the fire which keeps us warm

grateful that we didn’t move the woodshed farther away from the house

grateful for this farm

grateful for you and I hope that your home fires will be kept burning.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.