Home Fires
We’ve always had fireplaces in our homes because, well, how was Santa gonna get into our home without one. So, when we built our current home, of course we needed a fireplace. Unfortunately, we didn’t really pay attention, and we got a firebox that was a little too small, and it also failed to draw. Now, why we didn’t immediately get with our builder and resolve this problem I’ll never know. But we didn’t and for fifteen years the fireplace sat silent.
Then last year I decided I wanted gas logs. But I soon realized that the failure to draw was going to be a problem. So, I called in chimney company number one. They inspected and told me I needed to build a fancy house on top of my chimney. I demurred. I waited. This year I found chimney company number two. They said my chimney was too short, which was something I’d always heard as a possible cause of my drafting problem. They got the chimney past the peak of the roof, and it draws like a champ.
Now, on cold chilly mornings I can start a little fire to stare into and pretend I’m camping. It’s oddly soul satisfying to watch the flames and listen to the crackle of burning wood. It’s a nice dot in a memory chain of other fireplaces in other homes. Once again I’m the fire tender, warming the family hearth. And even though the family is dispersed and part of it gone it’s nice to remember the useful days and know I’m still keeping the home fires burning.