Quiet Evening by the Fire

Nice fire in the fireplace.

I have so neglected my reading recently! I haven't even read the two books I received at Christmas nor the Hemingway Nick Adams book Dan bought while we visited the Hemingway House in Key West in January.  I stay too busy with other "stuff".  I had planned to spend last Saturday doing nothing but reading, but I found that wasn't possible.

Here's some of the "stuff" I've been doing---instead of reading.

Cooking

Texting.

Scrabble online.

 Emailing.

Facebook.

By evening however, I decided to make a nice fire in the fireplace (the first fire we've had this winter) and do nothing but settle in on the sofa and READ.

A fire in the fireplace and a book on the sofa.

Put on some good music, for example Johnny Mathis.

Grab a good book.

With my favorite cat throw.  It looks like a big cat is on my lap, but it is just the throw.

What a nice way to spend a Saturday evening.  I managed to get about a third of the way through Nick Adams Stories before I became sleepy.  I am determined to do more reading, to spend less time on "stuff" and to have at least one more fire in the fireplace before winter ends.

Our Fireplace Doesn't Turn On

Nothing like a nice wood fire in the fireplace.

I love the smell of wood burning in the fireplace, and there's nothing like sitting by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book---a great way to spend the afternoon.  We usually have a fire at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or when it snows.  However, this winter has been so warm that we've not had a fire until the other day.  We had a dusting of snow, and that gave me an excuse to build a fire. 

Hot chocolate and a book by the fire.

Our kids have been after us to convert the fireplace to gas logs, and we've thought that once we use up our firewood we might consider doing that.  I realize that burning wood contributes to pollution, and it is a chore to haul wood and clean ashes. And every few years we have to hire a chimney sweep to clean out the fireplace and chimney.

Son Michael and his family like their fireplace with gas logs. Once when grandson, Tyler, was about three years old, and he was visiting, he asked me, "Grandpat, will you turn on your fire?"  He had seen his family turn on a switch, and presto there was a fire in the fireplace.  I had to explain to him that our fireplace didn't "turn on".

Our firewood.

Perhaps, when we use all our firewood, we will convert to a fireplace that "turns on", but unless it gets a bit colder. it looks as if we will have another winter's worth of wood and another winter to sit by a real fire.  Suits me.

A fireplace that "turns on" may be in our future.