I had to laugh yesterday when my wife asked why I had to pee when I went to fill the woodburner. She had played outside with our youngest and saw the tracks from the woodburner to the edge of the woods. It drives her nuts that I use the great outdoors instead of the bathroom inside! That is one of the top ten reasons it's good to be a guy.
Anyway I got to thinking about my normal routine. First thing in the morning and last thing at night, check from the window for the little wafts of white smoke to see how I did on guessing the wood amount for the previous fill. Check the thermostat on the way to the door to see the house temperature. Put on my Iceman boots, late grandfather's old work coat, hat, and headlamp. Trudge out to the wood burner to check the water temperature. Slowly open the door and look at the amount of coals/ashes to decide how much and what kind of wood to add based on temperature prediction for the next 12 hours. Rake up the coals to the front as needed. Step to either the "hickory" end of the woodpile or the "lesser Btu" end of the woodpile - usually both - and select what goes in. Walk back to the house, usually looking back at least once with the satisfied feeling that the house is being heated with the spoils of my hard work. Oh, and stopping to pee if the need arises.
Weekends typically involve more activity if I'm around including loading more often with less wood and emptying the ashes into the wheelbarrow to dump in the fire pit. Maybe even a little cutting and splitting if the weather is OK and there are woodpiles to deal with.
What's your ritual?
Anyway I got to thinking about my normal routine. First thing in the morning and last thing at night, check from the window for the little wafts of white smoke to see how I did on guessing the wood amount for the previous fill. Check the thermostat on the way to the door to see the house temperature. Put on my Iceman boots, late grandfather's old work coat, hat, and headlamp. Trudge out to the wood burner to check the water temperature. Slowly open the door and look at the amount of coals/ashes to decide how much and what kind of wood to add based on temperature prediction for the next 12 hours. Rake up the coals to the front as needed. Step to either the "hickory" end of the woodpile or the "lesser Btu" end of the woodpile - usually both - and select what goes in. Walk back to the house, usually looking back at least once with the satisfied feeling that the house is being heated with the spoils of my hard work. Oh, and stopping to pee if the need arises.
Weekends typically involve more activity if I'm around including loading more often with less wood and emptying the ashes into the wheelbarrow to dump in the fire pit. Maybe even a little cutting and splitting if the weather is OK and there are woodpiles to deal with.
What's your ritual?
