Mar 26 SMOKE

“Trust your landmark and run through the smoke. It’s going to open up eventually.”

Ezekiel Elliott

It’s a gray day outside and inside too. Smoke is blowing hard into my house. I have already climbed on the roof, slid down the icy and snowy sheet metal to check the chimney top. It was a little clogged but not bad. I cleaned that and clawed my way back up the roof, through deep snow to get to the ladder, then through deeper snow to get to the back door. That was the easy part, now I had to navigate the back deck that was about to fall and get back inside.

When I got back to the woodstove it was smoking even harder. I thought I would try burning a squished down cardboard box. I thought I could burn out the block in the chimney. That made more smoke inside. I couldn’t get the fire any hotter. The smoke started to pour out the intake.

Then I thought I would try just opening the woodstove door and just letting it burn. You know how that worked. I filled my fireroom with even more smoke. So now I sit on my milk crate by an open door guarding cats, making sure they don’t go outside, so I can let the smoke out.

I don’t hate much in my life but that wood stove is at the top of my list. Blaze king my ass Smoke king is a better name it is a very bad design.

At some time today, I need to take down the interior chimney and check it. All while smoke is pouring out the woodstove hole. Gotta love the pioneer life.

I tried to take the chimney apart, no chance of that. I will have to spend my day sitting at the door until the fire goes out. I need to get to the village I have some parcels waiting for me. I can’t leave until the fire has burned out. The smoke is happening now no matter what I do burn fast or slow the smoke keeps going.

I saw an animal run by the door just now, spilled my coffee cup over, coffee wasn’t made yet but just the fixin’s. The animal was the 30 lb stray hanging around here. Father of my woodpile soldiers below. I worry about the diseases he might be carrying, and I am sure he would kill any cats that get past the door guard, who is getting a very sore back sitting on the milk crate, letting the smoke out.

New coffee is pouring now, I don’t suspect it will be warm I am pouring in front of the door with a cold breeze shooting in.

It was easy to see I wouldn’t win with the smoke today.

It always comes down to this. No matter how much I hurt, no matter how difficult walking is, no matter how fatigued I am, wood needs to be cut, split and transported.

Snowstorm coming tomorrow. And since I couldn’t solve my chimney problem, all the wood would have to be split extra small. I needed to try burning out the blockage. That means 4 times the work.

I am taking a rest right now. I just finished cutting. In a little while, I needed to get back out to split.

My shoulder joints, elbows, back, throat and wrist were already screaming at me to stop. I could not. I needed to keep going.