The Dangers of Fire

Only having brought a limited supply of firewood on the trailer, the campers were on the lookout for anything suitable to augment their supply, especially with the wet weather.  Under these conditions it's best to keep the fire going it possible.

The Fuzz's Sweetie had found this nice chunk of wood nearby and brought it back with her.  Being too long for the fire ring, and not feeling like sawing though the thing, she decided to let the fire itself do the job.

Just before The Fuzz hit the sack, he was able to break it in half.  Then He planned to take the hot water and clean up the supper dishes.  The pot was now sitting over the place where the log had burned in two.  But when The Fuzz lifted the pot...

With the weight of the large pot of water gone, both ends of the log fell to the ground propelling  the burning ends into arcs of flame in the gathering darkness.  And one of those arcs, landed squarely on Our Poor Fuzz's foot.  Nature boy that he is, he was only wearing sandals at the time.  A few bad words were said at this point.

We are happy to report that some fancy footwork, and a step into a conveniently close by creek minimized the trauma.

After washing up, The Fuzz laid the pieces next to each other over the coals in the hope that they might be able to protect the fire though the rainy night.  And it did rain.  But they all stayed quite comfy in the big ass tent.

In the morning, The Fuzz got up to assess the situation and if possible, make a pot of coffee.  When he looked under the pieces of log, there actually was a dry area and a few (very few) coals!

He found a bunch of dry hemlock twigs, and managed to breath some life into them.

And so there was morning coffee.

Gas Grill?

Gas Grills? The Fuzz says we have our own way of doing things around here.
When the Young'uns came out to see their Mother for that well known and popular holiday, they brought burgers to grill out.This might not be what some folks are used to, but we do have a way to do these things out here in the woods.
And, they were delicious.

Stayin' Warm 1

The Fuzz cut this hole in the wall. But it was for a good cause. It was for our Brand New, Super Duper, Insulated, Chimney. We needed this so we can once more burn wood to stay warm. If we are living out here in the woods, why pay the Power Co. for heat?
But to burn wood in the trailer, we need a method for getting the smoke outside.
The usual method is a chimney, with which this trailer was not equipped. But The Fuzz is not one to let this sort of thing stop him. So once again it was time for a trip to that, now familiar, Home Improvement Store. There he purchased the necessary components for the installation of a chimney, suitable for our new home in the woods.
To the left you can see the framing necessary for mounting this High Tech Chimney though the wall.
On the right is a pix of one of these High Tech components, sitting on the table. This is the "Tee" that passes though the wall. This High Tech Pipe is heavily insulated and they claim it can be placed within 2" of a "combustible surface". The Fuzz says he hopes they are telling the truth, or "we're in a world of trouble".
But this does have to be supported somehow.
Here's a look at the stuff mounted to the wall.
You may wonder why he bothered with the framing here on the wall. Why not just fasten it all to the studs? It is designed to fit standard 16" framing. (which we actually have for once!) Well, The Fuzz found that the "thimble" which passes though the wall would only adjust down to 4 1/2" whereas this wall is only 4". Thus he added a bit more.
Here's a look at the finished chimney*.
The neighbor boy complimented The Fuzz saying "Nice smokestack!"
I guess it does look more like a "smokestack" than a "chimney". But that's OK.
The Fuzz set some paper on fire in the stove and it did seem to draw OK. But perhaps we're getting ahead of things here. So keep watching for part 2 of "Stayin' Warm"- which we might have time to get up here soon.


*As always you can click on the pix for a closer look!

Burned Out

In the winter of course, we get rid of our paper trash in the Old Wood Stove. After all, paper is made of wood, right?
But in Hot Weather this is not a good solution. So we use the Burn Barrel.
Unfortunately this Burn Barrel has seen better times. In fact this is now a Two Piece Burn Barrel. Obviously this could be a Fire Hazard. So something had to be done.
The Fuzz's Sweetie has been busy these days rooting though his almost 30 year accumulation of stuff and she pulled out this old barrel. It had been used at one time for chicken feed, back in the days when we fed chickens.
But these days we don't feed chickens, so this barrel was a prime candidate for a new career as a Burn Barrel.
But there would need to be some modifications here. A decent Burn Barrel needs Draft. But since we're not referring to one of our favorite beverages here, The Fuzz brought out his trusty Pick. He uses this to dig holes in the extraordinarily hard ground around here. But it is also just the perfect tool for making an ordinary barrel into a real, first class, Burn Barrel.
Here is an inside look at The Fuzz's Modifications. The key here is Restraint. Just enough to get a good thorough burn with out attracting a lot of attention.
And I am pleased to report, that once again we had success. The new Burn Barrel was tested the same day and exceeded all expectations.

Cold Winter Nights

"Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 16. North wind between 9 and 11 mph." So says the National Weather Service. That seems cold to me. But this time we're ready, I hope. This is our pile of Fossil Fuel. Great lumps of Carbon, just waiting to be Oxidized. Mostly, we burn trees. They're "renewable" energy, and I've been told, "Carbon Neutral". But then, aren't those Carbon Lumps "renuable" if one waits long enough ? I mean, how did they get there in the first place ? By the way, those aren't tiny saplings in the picture, those lumps are really that big. They last a long time, and burn very hot. But that is just what The Fuzz wants in this old drafty house at 16 F.
This is the small heater we use in the back of the house, the West Wing, known as "The Condition". (But that's another story.)
It was fixin' to be lit early Christmas morning. I just liked the Picture and needed one for this post. So you get to see it. I think I'm just fascinated by fire and stuff. Maybe it's the contrast between light and dark.

Any how, the big stove is full of coal and wood. The Fuzz is full of Burritos. If he goes in there next to that thing he will probably fall asleep. But what's wrong with that on a cold winter's night ?

Unfortunate Event

It's not clear how this fire stared. It could be possible that Count Olaf had something to do with it.Perhaps there was some sort of collusion with the Grinch, some kind of conspiracy to bring down the Economy by disrupting the Holiday Frenzy.
This may look like just any old ordinary plant. But don't be misled here. If you look closely, you will notice the remains of Commercial Christmas.
As you enter your local Mall this year, take a moment to appreciate all those little Reindeers, Elves and other wonderful things there to help you get into the "Holiday Mood" and spend your money. Remember, it is your patriotic duty to support the economy. But enough of this Scrooge-talk.
If you ever stopped to wonder just where all those wonderful things came from, it was here, the emphasis is on "was". This place supplied a lot of those things, and they did a pretty good job. This happened near the end of the "Christmas Rush", so all was not lost, at least not quite. Maybe you thought it was Elves that made this stuff. You would be wrong. It was real human people, even some of The Fuzz's kinfolks. Now they are scrambling, in borowed space, to get the last of it out.
We don't know how all this will turn out. Could this be the end of Christmas as we know it ? Would that be a bad thing ?
The fire was pretty bad. All the plastic, paint and stuff caused an inferno. There was nothing the Firemen could do but watch it burn, and try to keep it from spreading. There was a huge, black cloud drifting across the sky. The area around the plant was evacuated. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt as far as we know.
This Bear somehow survived all this.
The Fuzz and his Sweetie stopped by the other day to check it out. There was still a chemical smell in the air.
But don't worry, the Chinese are still making lots of great Christmas Stuff.

Stove Pipe

That fall like weather is finally here. At least for the moment. That cool breeze, those cool mornings.

Of course, those cool mornings call for a little something to take the chill off the house. This means Fire. Fire means Smoke. And Smoke has to find a way out of the stove, and out of the house.

Now there is a hole in the ceiling that connects to a hole in the roof. This might sound like a problem on account of rain and all, getting in, and making things all wet. But this is not a problem. This is a special hole, just for Smoke.
Here is what this hole looks like from the inside.
But the smoke starts it's journey from inside the stove. This means that it must get from the stove to this special hole in the top of the house.
There was a time, when folks just let the smoke kinda rise up in the room and find it's own way to their hole in the roof, but that system doesn't really work all that well. But now days we have a better approach to this. We have a Stove Pipe.
It will be noticed, in the above illustration, that this Stove Pipe seems to be in bad condition. This is, in fact, the case. If this critical component were to fail, it could be serious. So It must be replaced. And that was the project for the day.
It was time for a trip to the Home Improvement Store. There among the thousands of useful items, The Fuzz found Brand New Stove Pipe Stuff.
(He also found some fancy, high dollar light bulbs, to replace the ones that were burned out, but that doesn't have anything to do with Stove Pipes, so I'm sorry I brought it up.) First the Stove Pipes had to be snapped together. The fuzz had fun looking at the trees though them. Then, some of them had to be cut into the proper lengths. The Fuzz used his cool side grinder for this. I don't know why this stuff seems to be floating around like this. It wasn't. Here are all the finished parts waiting for assembly, the damper is installed, and he even remembered to clean off those little stickers with the barcodes on them.
The Fuzz carried all this stuff inside, and stuck the 9" piece up into the hole inn the ceiling. After this was secured, the rest was connected and fastened with screws. One does not want these things coming apart at an inopportune time.

So here is the finished project. Now The Fuzz's Sweetie can be warm without burning down the house.

But there is one thing I Don't understand. The Fuzz bought 6" Stove Pipes, yet these all have the number "9" on them.





In unrelated news, the Older Son no longer has a fiancee, They were married in the Tropical Paradise.

First Fire

It seems to be that time of year again. Kinda cool this morning. The Fuzz's Sweetie wanted a fire, and The Fuzz knows enough to keep His Sweetie happy. So The Fuzz tried to gather a few twigs for some heat. While the Older Son and His Sweetie are in the Tropical Paradise, the Barkely is here for a visit again.
This Barking Dog likes to play fetch the stick, and this complicates the kindling gathering thing somewhat. The best place to gather kindling is under the oak trees in the front yard. But there is this dog tied out there. Whenever The Fuzz would pick up a twig, this doggie would grab the other end. He wanted to play fetch the stick, but The Fuzz wanted to play Light the Fire.
See how fierce this doggie looks ! Don't let him fool you. He is only barking, "Lets play. Please play with me. Bark Bark Bark !"
But the wood pile is behind him, so if The Fuzz wants a piece of wood, he will have to play. You will be glad to know, that the Fuzz's Sweetie did not freeze this morning. He was able to dodge the dog, and the fire was kindled and the house warmed.




In the future we'll discuss the stove pipe.

Falling Leaves

For some reason, I always associate falling leaves with cool weather. It may be my yankee background. Yet here they are. I don't know if it's the dry weather of what, but they seem to start falling this time of year. Not all of them yet, but enough to sweep up. The colors will come later. We do have colors here, although not like up north. People here go to the mountains to see the colors.
The Fuzz was cooking some chickens out on the grill the other day. He had to sweep the pile of leaves out of the way so as not to set the yard on fire. One time, some years ago, the yard did catch fire. It was not a good thing. It burnt up the clothes on the clothesline, a shed and a couple of motorcycles. The Fuzz got a ticket for unsafe burning, or something like that. But the house did not burn, and the trees that were killed made a good bit of firewood. So I guess that affair did have a good side.

Quiet Days

Pretty much of a quiet day here at home. Talked to some of the Young'uns via visit and phone. Made a pot of coffee and fried a few eggs for breakfast. Rode over to Wally World in search of bicycle tires. My Sweetie's tires were, as it were, tired. These things were 30 yrs, if a day, all cracked and rotten, in short, history. And besides all that, they leaked. Old tires is one thing, but old leaky tires is another entirely. Hence my trip to Wally World.
It's confession time, I'm ashamed to admit, I have a prejudice against the place. Once, the security people chased my out in the parking lot and insisted I return to the store for to watch a tape of me stealing stuff. When it all was sorted out, it was someone else that was stealing stuff. I was just a little hot. I know it is wrong to hold a grudge, and I repent, but I still prefer not to go there.
I was looking for big round things, shaped roughly like bicycle tires, but couldn't find any. They did have bicycle tire tubes though. As I sadly studied those tubes, I realized some of the boxes actually contained rolled up bicycle tires. I didn't realize you could do that to a tire and expect it to still function properly. But my satisfaction was guarantied was it not ? so I took the plunge. It would seem that when the tires are unrolled, it is possible to use them on a bicycle, and here is another job well done.
And now it was time for dinner. The charcoal bag has been empty for a while now, so I have been using some of the stuff that falls out of the trees in the yard. Oddly enough, this seems to be an improvement. The real fire gives that wonderful campfire like taste to the meal, and it saves some money too. Well it's back to work again tomorrow.

Polynesian Cultural Stuff

Here is this cool canoe we saw at the Polynesian Cultural Place. Air Force Daughter got us all tickets to see this place, eat the Luau, and watch the Extravaganza later. This place was kinda like a theme park, but still interesting in it's way. We saw the Maori exhibit, and having watched and enjoyed "Whale Rider" it was nice to see the exhibit. There were "villages" from various island cultures.
We avoided the "canoe" ride on the little pond though. Then it was time for the Luau. This was held in a big pavilion, and served cafeteria style. I don't know if that is traditional or not, but the food was OK, and not what we would eat at home, especially the purple bread. They also put on a show there that was supposed to show what was traditionally done at this sort of thing. This is some of the dancing.
After the feast, we stoped in at the IMAX movie. This may have been an unwise thing, since sitting close to that gigantical screen, with a full tummy, was somewhat more exciting than I would have prefered at the time. But we all survived the aerial photography and learned a bunch of stuff about coral reefs. We finished the evening with the Big Extravaganza. It was actually pretty good with all the dancing and playing with fire and all. Playing with fire is always cool. I'll just say that those dancers got quite a work out there.
We don't often go in for these kind of things, but every now and then it's good for a change. We even went to Stone Mt. by Atlanta once to see the light show. We got to see some really different country in crossing the island though the mountains. This area is a lot different than by Honolulu.

A Closer Look

It was at the end of the week at work, and we were cleaning up the trucks, and taking care of some loose ends and all. A couple of the trailers had some "solid waste" on them. "Solid waste" is junk that people dump out on the side of the street. Actually, we're not really supposed to pick this up, but of course if we didn't, no one else would. But I digress again. In consolidating this stuff we came upon one of those big, high dollar TVs, or rather, what was left of one. In the process of manhandling this thing, it was discovered that it contained three of these cool, big ass lenses. I guess I'm just one of those people who if they have a little time, and a pocket knife, are gonna take something apart. Besides all that, I have a thing for big ass lenses. Over the years I have found that the lenses out of old projectors make incredible magnifiers, and these things were huge. And so, an accomplice and I went to work. We each got our own cool, big ass lense, and even had an extra to give to the guy in the shop. Us old guys have a bit of trouble with the fine print these days.
But is this cool or what ? I already set fire to some leaves with it. I don't like to toast ants, it seems cruel somehow. Maybe it would be OK with fire ants though, they deserve it. Mostly, I just carry the thing around and look at stuff.

Organic Cookin'

The weather was just too nice. I couldn't resist the impulse to sear these chunks of a dead bird over a small pile of hot coals. We used to raise some of our own, before we got lazy. These however, came from the Harris Teeter. But this is not just chicken, this is "Organic Chicken". We take our chicken serious here. Come to think about it, is there such a thing as "Inorganic chicken" ? Or would that be "Unorganic Chicken". Would that be plastic or something ? My daughter has a rubber chicken somewhere, but I don't think she's ever tried to cook it.
Well I kept the lid down and let all that smoke influence the chicken cooking in there. I suppose that cancels out all the healthy stuff from the "organic" part of things, but it was quite tasty anyway.

Garbagical Historical

Back then, before my own involvement incineration was the going thing. This was a state of the art facility in that bygone era. I can only guess that in those more innocent times, hazardous, choking, fumes were not a major concern. As one can see, this facility is no longer in use.
There are places these days where, I hear, they burn the trash to make electricity. This was not that sort of place. This must have been a fairly common arrangement back then. I remember going with my father to a similar facility in another town. They would push the garbage down through a hole in the floor. It made me think of Hell. But that was years ago.
Here is a closer look at what's left of the guts of this thing. I suppose in it's day, this spot contained it's own bit of Hell. Not today however, it was a cold day when I visited.
There are all those ruins in Greece, and Rome that people go to see. We have our own here, although they don't seem to
have as much class. But they are a lot closer. I sometimes wonder what future generations might think about our debris. Of course, this place might be a cinder by then anyway.

Next time we'll look at equipment.

No Coal

This is the Coal Yard. So where is the coal ? That's what I want to know. I've been watching all winter, wanting to pick up a load of that unPC, greenhouse gassing, smelly old house warming fuel. It's dirty, but it burns so hot. You can leave what you don't burn outside, and it won't rot till next year, or many years. But there is no coal. When I stop by, the gate is locked. When I call on the telephone all I hear is an answering thing, promising to call me back, a promise never kept. At one time there was a mountain of coal under this machinery, now, zip.
A lot of people think burning coal stinks. Maybe it does. But somewhere in the back of my mind, a whiff triggers something. Something I can almost remember, but I'm not sure. Something out of the past. Something about Railroads and the Big City, and a River. Maybe it's lost now.
But it sure makes that stove feel good on a cold night.

Something Fishy

Who left the water running in the sink ? How did all these fish get in here ? There is something fishy going on here. Maybe someone should open the door or something. Apparently the drought is over.
This is not as bad as it looks, although it did begin as a tale of woe. We like to keep a few fishies around, but not the tropical easy to kill type. But even these hearty goldfishy types do go belly up on occasion. And so it was, that there remained but one lonely little fishy with a deformed tail. Poor fella. It was time for a trip to the fish store. This is always a fun place, not only are there many, many fishies, but kittycats, and fierce birds that will bite your fingers if you get too close. They even got creepy looking snakes and stuff. But we came to see fishies. We picked out a couple fancy tailed ones, but realized that the big old tank would look awful empty like that. But then we see the sign, feeder fish, 8/ $1.00. Oh boy. Some are really pretty, but alas, 8/ $1.00 is you no pick'em. But the charming young lady who waited on us, when she realized we planed to give them a "good home" (instead of feeding them to some monster), went though several tanks picking out the brightest and the best. And we did give them a good home (although it's not quite what it looks like in the picture).
Years ago we lived in a little house out in the boonies with holes in the floor and all that. It was hard to keep warm with only a fireplace for heat. Each night the fishies' water would freeze, and each day it would thaw out and they would swim around happily. But one fateful day, we thawed them out too close to the fire and made chowder. These things are hard to kill, but it can be done.

First Daffodil

Yesterday, whilst working in town, I saw the first Daffodil of this spring. This is not said daffodil. This is a pile of ashes. Here it seemed spring was so near, so ready to spring forth and fill the world with glorious color, and now, winter is to return.
The ashes come from the wood stove. This is one more daily chore during this chilly season of ice and snow. One curious thing about hot ashes, is how long they can stay viable. Back in "The Days" this was a lot more common and we actually set a couple garbage trucks on fire with hot ashes. This sort of thing results in the hasty deposit of a large amount of garbage into the middle of a street. After that it was the street department's problem. One time whilst making our rounds, I came upon a burning can starting to ignite someone's carport. Plastic cans tend to melt in this situation. Less anyone think we are above this ourselves, we once set the back yard on fire with hot ashes due to poor communication. This resulted in the loss of a couple motorcycles among other things. We once set a garbage truck on fire with a bunch of chemicals from a swiming pool at the park. But that's another story.
But for now, winter is back, they're calling for snow and ice. Maybe they'll close school !

It's that time of year again. Time to split.
This is our only heat source here. (Although we have been known to throw in a lump of coal from time to time.) It is a lot of work some times, and I don't have a lot of patience with that "it warms you twice" bit. Some years ago, during one of those oil crunches, there was a big fad for folks to go to wood burning to save money. But it kinda slacked of when people realized how much work was involved. What was fun and trendy got to be a drag fast. It was good when things let up a little, cause the competition for wood eased off a bit. A lot of what we burn is what we pick up on the streets here. There are a lot of trees in town, and when limbs fall they must be removed. There are still people who want it though and most of the good stuff gets gone quick, especialy in cold weather. Some folks like to burn a little in their fireplace for effect. Now days, people are getting these gas fireplaces. No muss, no fuss. But that's good for us.
I supose we could be viewed as filthy contributers to global warming and all that, but what we're really into is dwelling warming. There is something about having a real fire here in the house that just resonates with me. I think it's the hearth thing, "Home and hearth", as they say. It's also a great place to warm up the old butt on a winter evening.
There are, of course, some practical aspects. We don't freeze our tushes during ice storms. The price is right, if you can some how ignore the labor. And a rug next to a woodstove is a great place to nap.

Lit

We had our first cool weather and lit the heater. Not cold enough for a big fire, just a slow smoldering thing. I couldn't resist it. I had to try for a picture. I must be some kind of a pyromainiac or something. But I just trip on the colors I guess.
Soon it will be back to working up wood and all that. Chainsaws and all. Loading the truck. (If it will run.) Maybe a few hours in the woods.