LAST I COUNTED THERE WERE 14 PEOPLE STAYING OVERNIGHT ON TH E PROPERTY SOMEWHERE..
THANK HEAVENS.... THE PROSPECT OF A SNOW STORM CUT THE AVAILABILITY OF VOLUNTEERS...
BLESSED BE THE 2 CP'S AND THE TEENAGERS WHO'S STAMINIA AND ENTHUSIASM OVERWHELMS ME...
KNOWING THE STORM WAS COMING-- I RAN TO COSTCO WITH CP#1 AND BOUGHT $400 WORTH OF FOOD AND SUPPLIES IN CASE WE REALLY GOT SOCKERED... LAST THING I NEED IS FOR PEOPLE TO LEAVE BECASUE TEHY ARE HUNGRY..CP#2 GOT SOME SUPPER READY-- I EVEN BOUGHT ALL THE SUPPLIES FOR THEM TO MAKE THIER OWN INDIVIDUAL ICECREAM (PLASTIC BAGS,ICE,, ETC...) I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WENT---
I WENT TO BED.. AND AT THE MOMENT (4AM) THERE ARE BODIES ALL OVER THE PLACE...
THE FIREPLACE IS GOING...LAST NIGHT I DID GO TO CHECK THE DEAGLE AND NUTT HOUSES AND WE DEFINITELY NEEDED TO MAKE SOME INSTANT REPAIRS.. LIKE SCREW BACK ON THE RUGS OVER THE DOGGIE DOORS WHICH SHOULD HOPEFULLY LAST OVERNIGHT TEH TEMOP IN THER WITH TEH HEATER GOING WAS 45 DEGREES... RULE AROUND HERE-- IF I WOULD N'T SLEEP THERE THEN THE DOGS WON'T.
SO WE CHANGED THAT...CP#1 SCREWED BACK ON ALL THE DOGGIE DOOR FLAPS WHCH EVEN TORN WERER MUCH BETTER THAN NOTHING--- AND I REPAIRED THE DOOR TO THE STOVE AND GOT THE FIRE GOING-- WHEN I LEFT IT WAS ALMOST GLOWING AND THE TEMP WAS OVER 65.
I MUST HOLD A COURSE IN FIREBUILDING 101-- BACKGROUND FOR THIS STORY IS ... AT DOGFEST ?2 YEARS AGO?... I HAD LAID UP A FIRE WITH THE BIG POT FOR BOILING CORN OUTSIDE THE TEEPEE-- AND AS I RUSHED BY, I ASKED 2 "FESTERS" IF THEY COULD START THE FIRE AND TEND THAT POT.. IN UNISON ... I SWEAR... THEY PULLED OUT THEIR CELL PHONES AND ASKES SIRI HOW TO BUILD A FIRE. ( THAT IS ONLY HALF THE STORY)
MEATCUTTER STEVE WAS WITHIN EARSHOT, HE CHIMED IN WITH "I COLLECT DRIER LINT AND STUFF IT IN TOILET PAPER ROLLS AND USE THEM AS FIRE STARTEERS" I LAUGHED AND LEFT-- BUT A WHILE LATER I CAME TO THE 2 OF THEM CLEANING OUT ALL THE DRIERS FOR THE LINT TO START THE FIRE.
I HAVE TOLD THAT STORY BEFORE, SO NOW IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR ME TO OPEN A PACKAGE AT MAIL CALL AND FIND A DOZEN OR SO TOILETPAPER/LINT FIRE STARTERS... HECK WE USE THEM.... HOWEVER... THERE ARE OTHER WAYS...
I THOUGHT THE BOYSCOUTS AND GIRLSCOUTS TAUGHT FIREBUILDING.. IT IS A CRITICAL TALENT TO HAVE...
I HAD ASKED PEOPLE TO GET THE CAST IRON STOVES READY TO GO SO IN AN EMERGENCY ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TO STRIKE A MATCH. WELL.... BEING ADVISED TO DELIGATE... I GAVE TEH MATCH STRIKING TO SOMEONE ELSE-- WHO CAME TO REPORT THE STOVES DIDN'T WORK.
NOW A POT BELLIED STOVE "WORKS" - YOU GET A FIRE GOING IN IT AND IT WILL CAST HEAT AROUND FOR HOURS...
HOWEVER-- AND I ONLY TELL THIS TALE TO DEMONSTRATE HOW TOTALLY INADEQUATE OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS- THEY WERE OPERATING AS BEST THEY COULD WITH BITS OF RUMORS THEY HAD HEARD...
THESE KIDS HAVE HEARD THAT HUGE FORESTFIRES HAVE STARTED WITH ONE CARELESSLY THROWN MATCH.(FORTUNATELY THEY DID NOT ASSUME THE MATCH HAD TO BE CARELESSLY THROWN.... ) SO THEY PUT 2 BIG CHUNKS OF WOOD IN THE STOVE... THEY HAD HEARD OR SEEN CARDBOARD USED- SO THEY ADDED A FEW PIECES OF THAT TO THE TOP OF THE WOOD AND ADDED TH EONE MATCH TO THE TOP OF THAT. AND THEY COULDN'T MAKE THE STOVE "WORK"
A PROPERLY USED POT BELLY STOVE IS A BIT LIKE CONDUCTING A SYMPHONY- THERE IS A 6 INCH PIPE THAT GOES UP THRU THE CIELING--IT STARTSE OUT AT THE STOVE IN 2' SECTIONS THAT COST 3 DOLLARS EACH AND AS IT PASSES THRU THE WOOD CEILING IT NEEDS A FEW 2' STAINLESS STEEL SECTIONS THAT COST $14578.98 EACH.... THRU ONE OF TEH LOWER $3 PIECES, YOU POKE A POINTY POKER-- AND AS IT GOES THRU THE PIPE YOU ATTACH A 5.5 INCH ROUND FLAP THAT CONTROLS TEH SPEED AT WHICH THE WOOD BURNS.-- THAT WORKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BOTTOM DOOR USED FOR ASH REMOVAL-- BUT INITIALLY IT IS LEFT AJAR TO ALLOW A DRAFT IN AND UP AND OUT THAT PIPE..--SO... STARTING AT THE BOTTOM .. PUT IN CRINKLED UP PAPER-- NEXT SOME TORN CARDBOARD...SMALL BITS OF WOOD- A COULPT PIECES OF LUMBER TYPE WOOD IS NICE IF YOU HAVE IT... ALL THAT IS TO GO UNDERNEATH , AND CAUSE TO BURN, SOME BIG SUCKERS-- LUMPS OF HARDWOOD- NOW ONE MATCH TO THE PAPER AT THE BOTTOM-- AND HEAT RISES ALONG EITH FIRE AND SMOKE TO GET THOSE BIG SUCKERS LIT.
NOW IF YOU ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A SHOTGLASS OR TWO OF KEROSEENE YOU CAN POUR THAT OVER EVERYTHING ( BEFORE THE MATCH PART) WITH SOME GETTING ABSORBED BY THE PAPER AT THE BOTTOM... THEN YOU REALLY HAVE IT "MADE" -- ONE MATCH AND YOU WILL BE WARM FOR HOURS... AFTER YOU SHUT THE DOOR AT THE BOTTOM, AND CLOSE THE FLAP IN THE SMOKE PIPE WHICH WILL MAKE IT ALL BURN SLOWER AND SAVE FUEL..
THAT IS A 100% HEAT MAKING DEVICE-- SIMPLE-- IT WORKS WITHOUT FAIL
NOW COMPARE THAT SIMPLICITY WITH TEH "MILKHOUSE HEATERS" ( OF WHICH I AM VERY FOND) THEY DO WORK IF THE ELECTRICITY IS FLOWING. A BIGGGGGGG "IF"
WE HAVE 2 WORKING NOW IN WITH LAINE-- WELL 2 ON THE SAME CIRCUIT DO NOT WORK SO WE HAD TO TAKE THE 50 LONG EXTENSION CORD ( WHICH IS REALLY A FAT EXTENSION CORD) AND RUN IT TO ANOTHER SECTON OF THE HOUSE TO POWER THE SECOND MILKHOUSE HEATER.
YOU GOTTA KNOW ALOT MORE ABOUT PHYSICS IN GENERAL TO KEEP THOSE RUNNING.. WITH THE POT BELLY'S IT IS "HEAT RISES" USE THAT.
P.S. I HAVE SEEN THOSE MILKHOUSE HEATERS FOR SALE FROM $119.00 TO $14.00 AND THEY HAVE BEEN IDENTICAL...
WOW... LONG DD
I WILL GO SEE IF THE TRACTOR CAN GET WARMED UP..
I DON'T MIND PLOWING... THE CAB IS HEATED PROBABLY BETTER THAN THE HOUSE..
