Playing with Fire

I grew up in a house that did not have a fireplace. So any time we visited my grandparents up in Virginia, I spent a great deal of time in front of the fireplace. GrandDad would always get the fire going. Sometimes he would buy a fire log that would change the fire's color as it burned. I was always facinated by the flames.

The last three houses my family and I lived in has had a fireplace in it. I've been able to get firewood without spending an arm and a leg and it has kept the family room warm. We use scrap paper and wood matches to start it. I don't buy a paper regularly so I end up using whatever I can get my hands on sometimes (annoying mail is very useful here). No plastic or colorful printed stuff. Needs to be fairly plain.

Pyromaniac that I am, I have enjoyed having the fireplace. But it does more than delight the eyes. My children like to help. They gather the wood, clean out the ashes, build the fire and light it with me. It gives us a time to gather together and get warm on those cool evenings. Sometimes we see just how well we built the fire by counting the number of matches needed to start it! High match counts usually require more paper.

My count was one today ;)


Mike

A Winter Crop

Well, we dug up the last of the sweet potatoes last week and will put them into a pie soon. Oh, by the way, my oldest son's garden produced these. And he is ready to plant something else.

My dear wife said we could plant a winter crop - salad types and some others. But with the weather so strangely warm, I almost see no need to make cloches or a temporary greenhouse. Now that would be a waste of planting though!

Today, my oldest son and I were cleaning up the back yard and porch - he came across our old fish tank and raised his eyebrows - "This would be a good place to start our plants." That's my boy!

So he cleaned it up and it is almost ready for the first batch. Well need to place some sort of clear cover on top of it, but I think plastic wrap can make do. Then, in goes the compost and dirt and seeds!

I'd be obliged to hear what y'all have had success with this time of year.

Until later,


Mike

West Texas Weather

Folks around here say "If you don't like the weather, just wait fifteen minutes. It will change." Weather does change out here, but not quite that fast.

This week we had a very windy day. Gusts up to 35MPH. It caused some interesting cloud formations. One was like a long tube that eventually grew into a larger formation. It was white on top and grey on the bottom. Nearby was another drawn out set of clouds. Behind them, dark ominous grey clouds. It did not rain or storm - but it did get cooler.

I have found that I can enjoy the weather in most cases. This is something that has taken some time to do. I remember (some years ago) first enjoying the snow whenever I got a chance to be in it - which was very rare in North Florida and my Grandmother's in Georgia.

Today, I stop to think about what is going on with the weather we are experiencing. When it is raining and the yard is flooded by several inches of water and I can't get to the door without getting my shoes soaking wet - I remind myself that it is usually dry here and the shoes and I can dry out. When the wind is blowing so hard that it almost yanks the door out of my hand, I take in the scenery and enjoy the interesting sunset that is caused by all the dust. When it is bitter cold I give thanks that it is one more day of cool winter weather. When summer comes with its intense heat, I know my tomatoes, beans, and peppers will grow well.

I try not to say something like "Enjoy the bitter cold, it's one less day of 110 degree summer heat." Seems to be a form of complaining or setting up one against the other. It is a vastly interesting world we live in.

Thanks be to God!


Mike

Cutting wood

My oldest son and I went out with a co-worker and his son to a 218 acre ranch on the weekend. We brought two chainsaws to do the work (and the boys to load the wood ;). We were cutting dead Mesquite as there is quite a bit of mesquite in these here parts. Some of it was pretty thick and others (no matter the size) were a bit rotted so the boys could snap them with their hands or good limbs. They had a good time.

The owner of the place came out and gave us a tour - showed us some huge rock formations and in one of them, several parts of some of the rocks were polished - it was right at hand level! He said he found a good many arrowheads and flint - we picked up some of each walking around.

Back to cutting wood again. The saws were quick, but noisy, and smoky too. The vibrations began to numb my hands after awhile as well. The saw began to have some problems - the chain needed tightening and it was cutting at an angle I didn't start at. We adjusted it, but it did it again after another hour.

So, I ask ye, if I had a good axe or a hand saw (and perhaps a two handed saw), would it be healthier? How much slower could it be? Some things to ponder are:

• No smoke (or health problems from smoke).
  
• No hearing damage from loud engines
  
• Less likely to have nerve damage from vibrations
  
• No gas and oil to buy, mix, spill and breathe.
  
• Chain saws need a good bit of work - not just on their chains
  
• Chain saws take up more room than hand saws and axes
  

So, is it worth it?