For me, a fireplace is a must. Gotta have one. There is nothing quite as lovely as sitting on the couch, cuddled in a blanket, reading or watching while the fireplace is ablaze. It is nearly a complete sensory experience. Smelling the smoke, listening to the crackle, watching the flames dance, feeling the warmth. Love it. Luckily I married a man who also appreciates a nice fire and as a result, as soon as the temperature drops, we crank up the fireplace.
Now, I am connoisseur of the fireplace fire, but my husband is a fire purist. Seriously, sometimes I think he's a little crazy. There are no gas lines for him. No four hour burning logs. No faux fire that you make appear with the touch of a switch. No...for him, the act of creating a fire is a complete, almost religious experience.
It all begins the previous year. As our pine trees drop their needles (which most people mow up and toss away) Joel is out there raking piles and storing them for kindling. Next comes the treks up the mountains to hunt and gather downed wood. It's just him and his tools (radio, chainsaw, gloves and the trusty Bear Grylls survival kit - a leatherman and flint). He goes up alone and comes home with a truck bed full of wood. This process is repeated several times.
Next comes what I believe is his favorite part: the chopping of the wood. It's quite a sight to behold. He gets out there with this bright yellow ear plugs and his Mark Knoffler headband and he's ready to go. There is a whole, elaborate set up. An axe and a sledge, several wedges, a brick lined area for the wood to rest during splitting, large piece of wood to act as a rise, covered nook for stacking. It's the most (only) organized thing that he does. For hours upon hours you can hear the sound of the axe falling deeply into the wood....the sound of the sledge driving the wedge, splitting the logs. He's like a combination of Ron Reagan, Abe Lincoln and Paul Bunyan. Except Paul Bunyan had Babe the Blue Ox to keep him company. Joel just has Copper the Dimwitted Dachshund.
After weeks of preparation and hard work we have enough wood to satisfy our desire for the cheapest form of entertainment in which we partake. During the winter we have fires nearly every night and I love it. And it's all because my crazy, hardworking husband refuses to go to a gym. Why do endless reps with a barbell when you can just be a modern day mountain man? Thank you Joel for your wood.
