I Love a Fireplace in Winter

There is something about a fire on a cold, gray day makes the day less gloomy. I love to watch the flames dance, to hear the sound of wood burning, and to feel the heat on my face.  I even love the smell of the wood and how it lingers in house after the fire has died. 

Growing up in the South, I didn’t have many chances to enjoy open fires except around campfires.  With the mild winters there, few homes had (or have) working fireplaces.  In Macon, Georgia, I don’t think fireplaces are seen as necessary to Southern life, and the people I knew who did (or do) have fireplaces, often didn’t (or don’t) use them. 

 

Regardless of where I have lived, most people I know who do have fireplaces often complain about the soot, the ash, the debris that comes in with the wood.  Due to the lack of interest in building fires, they also don’t seem to be interested in keeping their fireplaces in good working order. Growing up, I always wondered if that would be me or not.  As a teenager, I had always thought of a fireplace as something romantic, and therefore desirable to have in spite of the complaints.

 

When I moved to Rochester, NY, I bought a house that has a working fireplace.  For over twenty years, I too have experienced the ash, the soot, the debris that comes in with the wood … but I believe this is an integral part of the experience.  I have such respect for fire, the fireplace and its maintenance.   Over time, I see how my fireplace actually helps make me take better care of my home!   And so, for over twenty years I have enjoyed it so much, because I don’t seem to mind the not-so-welcome tasks that go with it. 

 

Over the years, I developed the habit of picking up sticks on my afternoon walks. and use them to start my fires.  The sticks are dried hardwood that fall from the trees in my neighborhood, and they make a fire crackle and pop more than without them.  The poet in me hears rhythms that the flames dance to.  

 

As an artist, I believe a fire contributes to my creative process.  I love to write and compose music as the fire burns.  The fire requires me to take care of it, which in turn, makes me take care of myself with breaks from sitting for long periods, thus giving me pause to ponder. 

 

To me, a fire is magical.  No two flames are ever the same.   As I sit in front of a fire tonight, I hope I will always be amazed by its beauty, the romance of it, and never imagine a winter without one.