Stoking the Fire

Yes I am. I am learning to STOKE the FIRE! Yessiree... keeping the hearth and home warm. Just a few cuts, a little splinter, and a slightish burn on the top of my hand, but so far so good.

We have been heading out into the timber, or the highways and byways, or across the road into the ditch to cut some wood this fall. Then load it into the truck. Then unload it unto our pole barn. Sometimes having to split it into small enough pieces so it will fit into our wood burning furnace. Not to be confused with a wood burning stove. No roasting marshmallows on this puppy. It actually in insulated so it is not so blistering hot to the touch, just slightly warm, and it's not purty like a stove is.

Since we have this pole barn full of wood cut, we might as well do something with it. We have 2 staging areas for the wood. One is outside the back door, and one is inside the back door. I don't know the reasoning for this -- but it works for me.

First of all I go to the chimney -- not to be confused with a pretty brick or stone chimney... this is a institutional looking sort with a -- HOT AS FIRE if you touch the stupid thing, so don't touch it -- black pipe chimney. I walk there and open the flue so it will draw. Yeah -- I haven't seen any of the pictures it draws yet.. but it keeps the basement from getting all smoky if you do that first. Ask me how I know.

BEFORE I knew to open the flue, I would open the furnace door slowly... then hurry and put in some wood... and once burn the top of my hand slightly all the while filling up the basement with smoke...slamming the door shut... running over to the smoke detector fanning a bit... then cursing the stupid thing... and running to the back door -- propping it open with a mud boot... running back to the detector and waving wildly to get it to stop it's incessant ringing... laugh at the dog whose head would cock each time the fire alarm would squeal... remember the fire I'm trying to stoke... run back to the furnace... slowly open the door to not let more smoke escape... it didn't work, but I look into the fire and it's out anyway so I've got to start all over again...STUPID!

NOW -- I open the flue on the chimney first. That makes it so much easier.

Then I open the door to the furnace to see if there are any coals left. Usually there are -- PRAISE THE LORD!

Lastly I open the bottom ash drawer to give the fire more oxygen! Yippee.. that's the fun part. Watching those coals JUMP TO LIFE!! FLAMES.

If there are no coals left, then I start from scratch. Which would be newspaper. Newspaper -- all balled up, then small sticks, bark, leaves piled on top of that. I get my 1" sticks piled up by my feet. Kneel down and light the newspaper on fire. Watch the fire walk around across the newspaper slowly and lick up all that black ink, like licking frosting off of a spoon, and catch the small debris on fire. Cool. Did I mention I don't mind stoking the fire? I really don't mind. Probably should -- one more chore added to my already over burdened list of chores... but I don't mind this one. ::tee hee::

Where was I? Oh -- once the kindling is on fire, then I add the 1" sticks. That's what we call them. 1" thick sticks. Get the fire going strong. Then once it's popping and jumping... I load 'er up.

Why do we call things HER? Why didn't I just say, "Load Him Up?" We do we call our cars her? We call the furnace her. I don't know why.

Anyway -- I pile on a few good logs. I like the kind with the bark left on best -- they catch on fire the fastest.

Then I go in reverse.

I count to three -- because I don't want to forget any step.

1. Close the ash pan door, leave the ash pan door nut open (it will draw air through there to feed to fire). Don't leave this door open, or it will melt the furnace. Literally?? I don't know -- let's not find out.

2. Close the furnace door.

3. Walk to the institutional sort of black pipe chimney, and close the flue some... not all... change it from | to /, or a tad bit more. But don't burn your fingers on the HOT AS FIRE if you touch the stupid thing, so don't touch it -- pipe.

There you have it. Pretty soon the furnace will be toasty -- then the fan will start running, and the chill that was in the air will dissipate. I love it! If you open the chimney flue, it won't even fill your house up with smoke and you can't even smell it. (Ask me how I know.)

I think I'm a closet pyromaniac. ::giggle:: I do enjoy Stoking the Fire!