Sunday, December 11, 2016

FIRESIDE CHAT




For the past twenty years, I've always lived in houses that had fireplaces. Now that I live in the wooded wilderness of Tennessee - in the coldest damn house ever built - I don't have a fireplace. It's one of life's pleasures that I truly miss.

In truth, however, when I did have a fireplace I seldom used it. They are a pain to keep clean, and - unless you're Paul Bunyan - it's not easy to keep firewood on hand.
Traditionally, I would always light a fire on special occasions like Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. 

The day that my mother died it was bitterly cold with a heavy snowstorm. When I came home from the hospital, I sat in the yard in the snow until long after it was dark - far too numb to think.
When I went inside, I lit the fireplace and sat by the fire - motionless - until dawn. Instinctively, my cat Scratch stayed with me on my lap all night.
I hadn't initially planned on mentioning this, but the memories are there....

I lived on the high plains of West Texas where the winters are always cold. The elevation was way over 3,500 feet (that's high for TX). One winter, during a heavy ice storm, my furnace stopped working. The repairman couldn't come for over a week and at night it got down near zero.

I was so cold that I wore three layers of clothes. If I didn't have the fireplace I would have perished. I slept by the fire every night. 


 My Texas Fireplace

It's been cold here in Tennessee. Only in the 20's during the day and it got down to 14 degrees last night (that's Fahrenheit, for those of you in Oslo).
Since I have nothing interesting to say (is that truly possible?) I'll end this with some random photos.


BTW - the first photo on this post is of my hat and boots, which I still wear (those are the boots that got ruined in the mud when I drove over the cliff in Arkansas - Over the Edge in Arkansas

 I didn't see the 'possum for several nights (it's been too cold) but he showed up yesterday afternoon. I gave him bread and a baked potato. He does have an injury on his hind quarters but seems to be doing okay.
I took this photo from the kitchen window. 

Here are some Texas photos.

 My cat Scratch keeping warm
(this was before I had Bosco and Scruffy)

 I always put lights around the fireplace during the holidays because they look festive.

 This was the fireplace in my parent's Odessa home. The white thing in the foreground is a sofa.



Gingerbread on my other blog:
http://cabinetofcurioustreasures.blogspot.com 

 

28 comments:

  1. I too love fireplaces but like you, we rarely use it. Nice to know it's there though if we do need to use it. Oh wait, it's gas propane and turned on with a light switch. Oh well. I love that you're feeding your new possum friend. I think. Name is in order. How about Dame " Hello possums!" Edna?����
    Ron

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    1. Dame Edna sounds good to me - - unless he happens to be a guy. Well, maybe he's a GAY possum....
      A gas propane fireplace would be fine - - easy clean-up!

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    2. Jon,
      In Pennsylvania we had a wood fireplace. Wonderful, comforting heat and lovely flames but very messy. Bugs in the logs and creosote in the chimney. Too much. The propane gas fireplace looks just as good and the heat is about the same. No mess!
      I think that's a female possum you feeding there Jon. Pretty eyes. George Jones eyes.
      Ron

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  2. I read this listening to It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. Glad the possom showed up, poor thing. I agree--fireplaces and woodstoves are both kind of a messy thing to keep clean, but I LOVE the smell of burning wood on a cold night. You may not have a fireplace anymore but you have three cats to keep you warm, at least. Happy holidays from Fargo!! :)

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    Replies
    1. That's great fireplace music - - and I also love the smell of burning wood. I thought about perhaps getting a wood-burning stove.

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  3. i love fireplaces. so cozy. the one in your parents home is magnificant.

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    1. I really liked the fireplace in my parent's Texas house - the entire wall was brick. Unfortunately my father was seldom willing to light a fire (too messy).

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  4. my John & I
    had never enjoyed
    a fireplace until
    last winter at
    his folks lake haus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lake house is a perfect place for a fireplace!

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  5. Never had a fireplace and don't want one. Never had a real swimming pool and don't want one. I must be really lazy.

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    Replies
    1. Both things are a lot of trouble to maintain - but especially a swimming pool.

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  6. Tho' we didn't use it all that much, perhaps the thing I miss most about my other life is the presence of a REAL fireplace. There's something so mesmerizing about the flames that defies definition.
    The image of you seeking solace after your mother's passing (I think) defines the term 'heartbreaking.' And, who SAYS animals don't grieve, too?
    What an awful irony that she died so closely to your birthday.

    PS - Nice boots. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Myra, that was the worst winter of my entire life - - I had to deal with everything ENTIRELY alone - no help from anyone. I hardly kept my sanity. And it was ironic that she died less than a week from my B'Day.

      Animals can sense grief. My cat Scratch slept on her bed for a long time afterwards.

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  7. Your kindness to possums is one of the reasons I like this blog. They are among my favorite wild animals; they don't bother anything, don't hurt ones pets or family. When my son was a teenager, he had one ram into his shins and bounce off backwards when he came home late one night. Poor possum collected its nearsighted self and apologetically detoured around him. Some wild animal, eh? Poor little guys only get to live 3 or 4 years and that leaves no time for superfluous argument --they seem to sense this and are peaceful creatures. As for names, I agree with Edna, or Ed, something short like that. Possums hardly have time for names.

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    Replies
    1. I never knew much about possums until I moved here. I was very surprised at how shy and gentle they are. I was initially worried that they were aggressive and would attack the cats.
      I didn't know they have such a short life span.

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  8. Fires places are wonderful. We converted ours to gas in NC. Loved it! Believe it or not, we have a fire place here in Ft. Lauderdale. It is the only heat for the house and hasn't been used since 1972. I do use a space heater one or two mornings a year. Your fire places look beautiful.

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  9. When I'm freezing my ass off and crying over my heating bills, I actually envy my friends in Florida and Southern Calif. I do miss having a fireplace - they not only provide warmth, but also a feeling of immense satisfaction (coziness)

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  10. A lovely shot of the fireplace with the lights. I have never lived in a place with a fireplace, but daddy warbucks has one, and being the hot blooded person I am, I sweat like a whore in church. Guys tell me I am a human fireplace.

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    1. "A human fireplace"....
      You've provided the first laugh I had all morning. Thanks!

      Delete
  11. Your header is absolutely beautiful. I have never seen so many stars myself, although we did see quite a few from our cabin at Big Bear Lake.
    Would you consider one of those new fangled free standing electric fireplaces? They're not as good as a real one but do offer some ambience, albeit phony. They do throw off heat which might be welcome to your frigid abode.

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    Replies
    1. I "lifted" that starry night photo from the Internet. It put me in a December mood. I don't like electric fireplaces but I'd consider a wood-burning stove.

      Delete
  12. Oops sorry Jon. Just realised you are 5 hours behind us, not ahead of us! Doubly happy birthday. MaggieB

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    Replies
    1. Hey, I'm surprised that you remembered! Thank you.

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  13. Nice fireplace, one would be handy in the woods of Tennessee. The only house I have ever lived in with a fireplace, is the house in Kentucky, it has been years since we have used it. It did keep us warm through an Ice Storm one time.

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    1. Kentucky and TN are perfect places to have fireplaces. They really do come in handy during winter emergencies.

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  14. Replies
    1. I appreciate the thought. Thanks!

      Now, if I could only knock off ten years.....hell, maybe 20....

      Delete

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