Musings

Simple Task, Far Reaching Effects

We finally broke down and lit a fire last weekend as the days were still fairly pleasant but the nights getting brisk.

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When working with a wood stove the emphasis for the fire is the three basics; ignition, oxygen, fuel.  Matches dealt with the first issue and a dozen tons of firewood the third.  Regarding the second point, the vintage hand pump bellows that came with the cabin finally ruptured the leather membrane that allows a bellows to blow, rendering the tool useless.  And without a bellows to get the fire going properly first thing in the morning from the residual embers, somebody needs to get down on the floor next to the woodstove and blow.  Getting down and up for that is not something I am especially adept at.

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So today I carried the old bellows up to the shop, and in between working on conservation projects spent an hour stripping the old leather off and installing a new piece of deer hide I had in my stash of eccentricities.  It now works perfectly, hanging in the ready next to the stove.

As for the long lasting effects of the tool, I will be able to better judge that come January or February, some  morning when it is about zero degrees outside and the fire needs to get back to work.  Pronto.