Thursday, October 28, 2010

Time to Get the Home Fires Burnin'
















Although I promised to blog more on rabbits, my mind is turning to keeping warm. Since I'm sure that's what most people in cold winter climates are thinking that's what I'm writing about tonight.


We have a good start on a wood supply for our wood burning stove stacked on the patio. We are ready to start that fire that will be so warm and welcoming. We spent several years with a corn stove and although I'm sure they have been improved since that model was sold, I'm not a fan of them. We finally decided that in the event the electricity went out we'd still be without heat, due to the fact that electricity runs the auger that feeds the corn into the stove box. We were also replacing at least one part per year. Last year we switched to wood heat. Even if electricity/propane were free I'd still stick with my wood stove. There is nothing like the heat and the ambiance on a cold Nebraska winter night, plus, we'll still keep warm if there is no electricity and can even cook on the stove top if necessary.


The frustrating part of owning a wood stove for me, is lighting the fire. You can buy all kinds of products to get that fire roaring but I found a cheap and easy fire starter you can make with things you have on hand at home. I found this project some time ago and finally tried it today. Here are the quick and easy steps.


1. Take a cardboard egg carton and fill it with lint from your clothes dryer. I keep a jar on my dryer and add to it as I clean the filter.


2. Pour a layer of melted wax on top of the lint.


3. Cut each cup out individually and when using to light the fire, light the corner on fire. These will burn for quite some time.


Enjoy your cozy fire and keep warm.

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