|
 It’s
natural to mumble nasty things about the cold weather. We all do it
from time to time. But even the cold has its merits.
One big plus is that it makes fireplaces a reasonable addition to
our lives. In cold weather, we can build a fire in our home with a
clear conscience. This is something that doesn’t translate well to
summer heat, but when it’s cold, here comes the fire.
Strange, isn’t it, our love affair with a fireplace?
Makes absolutely no sense. Today, we can make houses so impervious
to cold that every time we light a candle, the temperature goes up
ten degrees. So what do we do? We cut a hole in this sealed
anti-cold unit so we can sit and look at the flames, the way our
ancestors have done since they learned to walk upright and invented
kindling.
But we don’t care. We’ll spend a lot of extra money to buy a house
with a fireplace, and not think a thing about it. Because this
fireplace is the spiritual center of a home, as it’s always been.
It’s the gathering place. It’s the place to read, to learn, to meet
and tell stories. It’s the core of our universe. The fireplace – and
those waiting for us there – is what we dream about when we’re miles
from home in the woods or desert. It warms us,
inside and out, cooks our food, and answers our questions.
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column] |
Questions? Sure.
When the fire’s burning low, and you can just see the little blue
lickem flames curling around the glowing embers late at night, and
when we’ve about talked out the day’s adventures, we can look at
those embers and find answers to questions we didn’t even know we
had. And we feel sorry for people who don’t have these advantages.
[Text from file received from
Slim Randles]
Please consider buying
“A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Good advice from an aging
cowboy … me. Available on Amazon.com, among others.
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