Just Add Fire

I have concrete flooring inside a house made out of stone. This combo makes for some chilly down time in the winter. This mixture also prompts us to make roaring fires...which I thoroughly love. There is something enticing about having fire in your house. I have always loved the flicker of light set off by candles and I burn numerous candles as often as I can...mainly so that I can see the dancing amber shadows illuminated throughout my house. It gives me the sense that there is something "alive" and that I have company. When a fire is burning you get the cracks and pops that go along with it...more hints that something "alive" is in the house with you. All of us gravitate toward its heat, sitting on the hearth as we eat a snack or watch a show. There are marshmallows to burn and papers to ignite; there are logs to add and ashes to shovel. All of these things tend to happen without thought. While a fire must be maintained it is not like washing the dishes...you seem to get more out of it. I am grateful that there are always large stacks of cut wood that mysteriously appear at my back door. I never have to wield a chain saw. In a pinch I have been seen gathering kindling in flannel pjs stuffed into cowboy boots, but other than that I have a husband and a son who gladly do the gathering.