Day Nineteen, Footnotes Together We Manage

One thing is certain, that batch of chili bites back. Live and learn, consider carefully what ingredients you are pouring into the pot. The thing about it though, it really warms you up when its cold.

This morning not long after I got up I put a piece of wood in the wood stove. I walked through the house to prepare a cup of coffee and then go get dressed. I kept smelling something that seemed odd. 

Something burning. I hurried back to the woodstove and checked. Yeah, the stove pipe was apparently in need of cleaning out. Smoke was seeping out. I closed the draft and left the fire to go out. Which by late in the afternoon still wasn’t fully out.

After getting back from this morning’s adventures I turned the furnace up and came in here to wait. I then also spent the afternoon fighting to stay awake due to lack of sleep last night. Mom and dad helped me stay awake with their phone calls.

At one point I saw the mail jeep go down the road, but they didn’t go far before they were headed back up the road muddy, slushy and not the best traveling at the moment. Dad called wanting me to go get their mail. If I didn’t want to he could get it by backing his truck down the driveway. Of course I pulled my boots back on and walked down to his mailbox which was empty. I went and told mom and we decided that the driver may have simply turned around in their driveway and dad mistook it for a delivery. I went home and wasn’t in the house long before the jeep was going down the road once again. This time as it came back up it did stop. And I went back and got their mail, walked up to my box and retrieving my mail went back into the house.

The fired was almost out but not fully. I decided that I would wait for my son to come home and help with cleaning out the stove pipe. When he came in he helped me get the two carts of firewood onto the front porch and he carried to stove pipe outside while I cleaned up around where it fits into the stove and through the wall into the chimney. Once he brought the pipe back inside and got it in place I could build the fire back and everything is now fine. No smoke leaking out anywhere though I may go out back tomorrow and check the base of the chimney.

Hearing an odd noise a little later I went out back to check. The orange male cat was back. Swoosh is female and Swoosh may be attracting his attention though she isn’t happy for his presence. She actually knocked it off the steps when he got too close. One tough lady that one. Not long after that my son actually losing patience went storming out back shouting for the orange cat to “just shut up already!!” He made it leave, well, he got it to run off into the dark. When I let the dogs outside a little later I could hear it yowling just out of sight somewhere between my house and my parents. I made the dogs come right back inside before they fully realized that it was a cat making that weird noise.

I helped my parents, trying to do my best to see that they got what they needed safely. That they managed to get supplied up should another storm come, which now they are saying is only going to be rain. Fine by me. I’m ready for Spring, its easier to take care of my folks with less concerns over slipping and falling.

But in turn, my son helped me with the wood and the wood stove. Because I really didn’t want to unload the wood from the cart and I didn’t want to wait on the fire to be all the way out. It was out enough that it didn’t smoke, but still hot enough that the wood placed inside caught quickly. I do need to see who I can talk into helping me split the wood I have left that is too big for my woodstove. My son is off work Monday, if all we get is rain, we should be able to get the splitter and take care of what is out there.

Its called compassion, respect, responsibility, taking care of others. We were able to get things done jointly, safely. completely. By working together. I do believe, that I should be able to sleep better tonight..