Holey Smoke!

  Had a close call on Saturday night. Woke up to the smell of smoldering wood. Turns out my old stone chimney had lost some mortar up inside and left a hole exposing the roof joists to flying embers from the fire the night before.  As dry as the wood is up there, I’m not sure why it didn’t just burst into flames. It may have if I hadn’t gotten up to “dispose” of the large amounts of tea I had consumed earlier in the evening and smelled the smoke.

Harry at the grocery/hardware/feed and seed store suggested I call in an expert to look at the old chimney. The expert came out Monday and suggested (among other things) we install a stainless steel chimney liner and a new firebox. Naturally, Dooley and I were happy to comply. Unfortunately, he had to order the supplies and the install won’t happen until Friday.

The fireplace has been my principle source of heat this winter. We fire it up in the afternoon and let it burn till bedtime. The cabin is well insulated and holds the heat nicely. Mornings are chilly but the stove heats things up quickly as we make breakfast. Harry loaned us a catalytic heater to fill in till Friday. We have also purchased a smoke detector and co2/oxygen sensor alarm for the cabin. These high tech items are not exactly in keeping with my simple living theme but a little scare can go a long way towards changing attitudes.

This would have been a much better story if Dooley had smelled the smoke, dragged me out the cabin to safety and single handedly doused the embers with the h2o from his water bowl……if he was a hero that night, it was only in his dreams. He slept through the excitement.