And so we did.
We could have gotten by without it I suppose, but why would we want to? Earlier this summer, we had someone come out and inspect the chimney to be sure that it was safe to burn wood in this winter. After a few minor adjustments, the guy who did it pronounced it "good as new". We were lucky to find a neighbor down the street a ways who had just felled a huge pecan tree a few days before. Fireplace wood was for sale at a great price and Mike ordered a couple of loads of it. We hope to have plenty to burn throughout the weeks ahead. Time will tell just how cold this coming season of winter shall be.
It's funny how something like a fireplace going can stir up many memories. As I was sitting at the hearth and warming up my backside, I couldn't help to think of a time long ago when we lived in a house just north of Haven, Kansas. I can't remember sometimes where I put my cellphone, but I can remember just about everything from our stay at Mr. Moore's place.
I was only 8 years old when we first moved to Haven in late December of 1963. Our family rented a house 3 miles north of our new community. A sweet and elderly man named John Moore was our landlord. He was so good to us in many ways, and ended up being the "grandpa" that my little sister and I never had. That little farmhouse was our home for the next 5 1/2 years, a place that provided plenty of memories of childhood days gone by.
In the winter time it was cold there. Our main source of heat was a floor furnace that was between the living and dining rooms. My little sister and I used to stand on that thing until the rubber of the soles of our tennis shoes would start to smell as if it could catch fire at any moment. It was our signal that it was time to move on, lest we would have to explain to our mom why our shoes had huge holes in them. You know, it never sounded like a fun thing to do.
We had no fancy washer and dryer back then, only an old wringer washer that mom used on the back porch. In the winter time, she would hang the wet laundry on a wooden rack that she positioned by the floor furnace. There it would dry. As I type these words, I marvel at the thought of how much we didn't have back in those days. Yet it really didn't matter.
We were happy anyways.
Every once in a while when the cold winds would turn bitter, Mom would chop some wood to burn in the small fireplace that was positioned against the east wall of the dining room. It certainly wasn't energy efficient, but at least it provided some degree of extra warmth. I realize how hard Mom had to work to make the house warm. Our father had heart disease and chopping wood was not something he was allowed to do. So Mom would bundle herself up as best she could and head out to the old grove of trees just north of our place. With ax in hand, she would set to work. I regret that I never said "thank you" for all of things she did to keep us safe and warm back then.
I have a feeling she might have already known how much we kids appreciated it.
Mike, Sally, and Crosby have enjoyed that wonderful fire we built today. They are in the living room now, cozy and warm as they watch the football game together. Every once in a while if I'm not working on some school work, I head in there and bask a bit in the fire's glow myself.
It feels nice.
Today has been the best day ever. We stayed home and don't feel any pressure to do anything further. Both of us, hey even you who read this blog post, need to have days like this one more often. I'd love to take my blood pressure right now. I'm going to guess it's as perfect as it could be. I'm so thankful to have good memories to fall back on these days. Our parents did the best they could for us and even though our family of 9 didn't have much extra money for things, it really didn't matter. They kept us fed, safe, loved, and warm.
It may have been only an old furnace and a makeshift kind of fireplace, but one thing is for sure.
It was a fire to stay warm by.
All 3 of them are living "the life of Riley" today.
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