A Warm Heart Beats 💖 Within The Snow ⛄

Just a quick update for today. 😉

The cold of winter continues on…

So I decided to pick up some more compressed log and do a test burn with the exact method recommended by Roger. Let me emphasize that the compressed log needed to be was free- that way it wouldn’t build up inside the wood stove. I had chopped some piles up of pencil sized and cigar sized kindling to get the stove properly heated for the compressed log.

So naturally I began by lighting up the pencil sized pieces first.

Of course they lit right up and instantly Kalcifer was happily crackling away.

It had been a long time since I had to do such a build up to get a fire place going, but if this was the definitive start-up process for our little Kalcifer to slow burn for a long time, I would be more than happy to do it.

After 2 little stacks of pencil size wood and the stack of cigars, Kalcifer was already putting out some good heat and the soot was steadily burning off of the glass. With the cigars burning down, it was time to stick in a whole piece of compressed log.

Leaving the flu wide open the log lit right up and continued to burn off all of the soot off of the glass.

When I felt like it was hot enough (I gave it about 13 minutes) I closed up the flu all of the way. The glass darkened right up, and the result was nice big and slow flames licking up against the glass from within. Just like Roger had said, the wood stove would now start using all the smoke as a fuel source and burning it up in the top as a secondary flame.

After a little bit longer I was convinced it was working, but decided I would hang out and keep an eye on it to make sure it was reaching the burn longevity we had been hoping for.

So I headed inside and got our two little sidekicks to come hang out with me.

It didn’t take long for them to convince me that taking a nap on the couch by the fire was a good idea. 🛌💤

I awoke an hour and a half later with the fire continuously burning away still. I got up to open the fire place and still see plenty of the compressed log left happily alight.

It was a mission success! And I did not have to go through three quarters of the list Roger had given me to trouble shoot the Kimberly.

All it had taken was closing off the secondary air intake, and correcting the operator error I was executing for this particular wood stove. I would keep Roger’s notes for the future, as well as give him a call to tell him Thank You for his kindness and advice.

So that’s it on our progress report.

Otherwise, It’s cold. Snow continues to drift down on and off, creating the replication of a picturesque snow-globe outside our windows in preparation for Christmas.

I’m still taking Our Ohana out at least once a week, and she still loves the snow. Here is a picture of heading down West Hill to town to run errands.

And here is another pic of crusing through the middle of Homer.

If we don’t report in with anything new before Christmas, please know We, Laura and Myself, are hoping you all are having a most excellent holiday season! During these winter days look for the positive in the world as much as you can, and utilize this down time of winter to re-energize for that sweet summertime.

After all, it might not feel like it, but the sun is just around the next corner.

Geoff Murphy 12/11/2020