I have not been writing or taking any photos lately as we found a place to live and have been in the process of more change. Much of the change is related to moving and has been very physical with more to come. Along with moving we must prepare for the season change. It is a different way of life than getting ready for the seasonal change to winter in Miami. There I would find my jackets and I was ready. Here it involves more thought, action and knowledge in many areas including heating the home. We have here a central air system as well as a wood stove. The stove is beautiful. It is shiny black cast iron with a stove pipe chimney that runs straight to the peak of the A-frame roof. We want to use the wood stove as much a possible because we like the idea of a wood burning fire, plus it will help to reduce the electrical cost, which I understand can become pretty high in the winter.

Since the temperature is dropping like the New Year’s Eve countdown ball in New York does, getting the wood stove up and running is a priority. The first order of business is to acquire wood. The people who lived here before us took the wood that was in the wood shed. Now some people wonder how they could have done that and others said it’s their wood because they paid for it. Ok, it is what it is, so we will start at square one. After all this cannot be that hard, can it?

The stove in the house is a Jotul (the J is pronounced as a Y and the name sounds like yodel), a brand made in Denmark. It gets pretty cold there so they must know a thing or two about heating in the winter. Everyone who has seen the stove says it’s an excellent stove. The reviews online say it is an excellent stove. The people in the forums about wood burning stoves say it is an excellent stove (although they add the caveat that they can be quirky). So we have a great, quirky stove. Now we need to get it working.

The first order of business is to obtain wood. At first thought this seems pretty easy. There is wood everywhere here. Piles of logs lay alongside the roadways. Trailers filled with wood and ‘for sale’ signs are everywhere. Seems like a no brainer, but things are often not as they seem. First, how is wood purchased? I have found that it can be bought around here in three units (there may be more I am not aware of yet). Roadside stands and markets (even grocery stores) sale bundles for two to five dollars. A bundle will have five to seven split logs. Or, you can buy from the people who cut and split the logs. These purchases can be by the load or the cord. The load will be a unit consistent to their sales, like the size of their truck bed. A cord is a standard unit of measurement that is 4x4x8 feet.

To complicate the issue more is the fact that wood can be from various trees. These trees can range from hard to soft wood. If I understand correctly, each type has good points when burning. Plus, wood varies from green to seasoned. Green means that the wood is fresh split and has a high water content. Seasoned means the water content is under 20%. Different types of wood season at different rates. It seems the harder the wood the longer it needs to season. So a hard wood like oak may take up to a year and a half to season properly.

Another factor in this process is the size of the logs. They vary as do the size of fireplaces and wood stoves. It is important to have the right size log for the wood stove. For instance, this stove will effectively hold a piece up to 13.5 inches long, although better are ones 12 inches in length. With this knowledge the stage is now set for our drama. We have the stove and wood has been acquired, two loads. This should be easy: stove + wood + newspaper + matches = cosy fire. But like stated earlier, we are set for a drama, a sad, at times funny, yet tragic drama.

Prior to the first attempt at making the fire, I split some of the logs into kindling. That process is another story for another time, but in essence it is pretty similar to this one. Suffice to say, I produced a bucket of reasonable kindling. I took newspaper and crumpled it into balls and lined the top of the grate. I added several layers of kindling and placed some slightly larger logs on them and put flame to the paper. I stepped back ready to enjoy the beauty, warmth and comfort of my work. Sadly to say, the only glow my effort produced was the one of self-satisfaction on my face, which by-the-way, did not last long. It was a colossal failure. I mean even the newspaper did not burn completely. How can the newspaper not burn? I have discovered when I get myself into these situations I pretty much go into one of three problem solving modes: 1) identify problem and look for solutions; 2) panic, throw everything including the kitchen sink at it; and 3) one that looks like the first mode, but is really the second one being covered with a clever facade. This last one is the mode I dove into this time. I tried more paper. I tried more kindling. I tried more wood. I tried paper on top of the wood. I opened the ash door for more air, which is a huge no-no. I cursed. I prayed. I got testy with my wife. I started acting like “King Brat.” But nothing worked. I went to bed with a few glowing embers, no flame, little heat and I’m embarrassed to admit, a bad attitude. A small cast iron stove had beaten me, to a pulp.

The next day I move more into the first problem solving mode. I spoke with people for ideas and suggestions. I received responses from “It’s really easy” to “Wood stoves are tricky and often hard to learn.” The first response had me feeling extremely inadequate while the second gave me hope. I went online to read about my stove and found that they can be quirky to light and difficult to maintain a fire. To a “T” everyone said, “Great stove but can be hard to get started.” This was followed with “The air flow control does not seem to work very well.” So now I’m starting to feel more hopeful and human. I have found others who share my pain and my problem has moved from a “me to a we” one. Unfortunately this information did not produce heat.

This is also the point where I began to understand green wood. The thought was emerging that maybe, just maybe I had acquired two loads of green wood. When purchasing the wood I had not enquired if it was seasoned or green and I don’t remember being offered the information either, but he did mention that he had recently split the logs so I guess that was a clue. So, I met up with a friend who gave me a couple of bundles of seasoned wood and some “fat lighter.” Now I had never heard of fat lighter so I listened closely while being enlightened to its benefits and magical qualities. Fat lighter is wood from a pine tree. Not just any pine tree but ones that grow in certain states and it seems that North Carolina is not one of them. This type of pine tree has a resin in it which lights easily and burns slowly. It has a very distinctive smell. The wood is cut into small splinter like pieces and I was advised to use no more that three or four. A couple of the small pieces, I was told, even had to be cut smaller. Along with the “fat lighter and seasoned wood” I was loaned a very heavy axe to split my logs into smaller sizes.

So with these items in hand, especially the magical “fat lighter” I headed home with renewed confidence. How could it go wrong. I was in possession of the necessary tools to satisfy one of mans most basic needs, heat.