Jan. 1 2013
I awoke from a deep sleep, huddled tight, knees curled up
and arms crisscrossed around my torso.
Instantly I felt coolness in the dark cabin air - fire’s out. Shit.
Sweatpants were quickly thrown on, along with a stocking cap and
headlamp. On the way to the wood stove,
I glanced at the clock on the wall, 1 AM, Happy New Year. Reaching the stove, I found feeble warmth
radiating from the blackened cast iron crucible. Opening the door, a blast of smoke hit my
face, reminding me to open the flue first.
With flue opened, I tried the door again. This time I saw the gnarled chunk of oak that
was tossed in 3 hours ago smoldering.
Grabbing the fire poker, I moved the half-burnt hunk around and found a
few coals to rebuild the fire with.
Bone-dry kindling was placed on the red coals. I waited to make sure they caught before
adding larger pieces of the driest, most easily burned popple.
I stepped outside to a world of quiet slumber, lit by a
majestic waning moon, casting its brilliance across the snow-covered
landscape. Smoke had begun to billow
from the chimney, pushed gently to the south by the north breeze before falling
close to the ground and continuing its southward motion. It was cold.
The thermometer on the spruce tree out front read -12. Yep. I
hurried back inside to check the fire.
The popple was soundly ablaze so I added a few pieces of ash
from the woodpile next to the stove. I
closed the stove door, sat down on the chair in front of the stove and turned
off my headlamp.
Moonlight streamed through the window, spotlighting the
items that happened to find its gaze; the tics and knocks of the wood stove
grew louder as it warmed to life. A yawn
escaped my mouth, reminding me to get back to bed, but I knew better than to
trust a nascent fire, I had to stay up for a bit to make sure the fire kept
roaring. Many a promising fires have
petered out when the flames realized the wood was wet or punky and refused to
go any further. The gaslight was lit and
I sat down at the table to write.
Welcome to 2013.
Thanks for sharing. For what it's worth, I think that you found a wonderful way to welcome the new year!
ReplyDeleteI think it's about time that you write a book, my friend. Thank you as well for the birthday call. It's always a pleasure to hear from you.
ReplyDelete-Jesse