On Thursday, the kids, a friend and I headed to my parents’ house to pick up their camper to use at the track for the weekend. There is something about being at Mom and Dad’s that just makes me feel a little nostalgic. Nothing has ever made me feel as nostalgic as I did Friday morning. Mom and Dad were gone (in Canada). Because of water in the basement when we got there, I started a nice wood fire to dry things out. (It was a good thing, considering between Friday morning and Saturday another 4 1/2 inches of rain fell).
Growing up, one of my chores was to start a wood fire when I got home from school. I got pretty darn good at it. Even now, it is second nature.
Here is my tutorial on how to start a fire (sorry, no photos).
Supplies:
Newspaper
Dry kindling
Dry firewood
Matches/Lighter
Start by making sure the firebox is clean. Air flow is important for a good fire.
Crumple up the newspaper, but not too tightly, and place in the bottom of the fire box.
Place kindling overtop of the newspaper. Make sure you stack it so that air can get around the wood. I like to make mine look a little like a teepee.
Light the newspaper. As the fire get stronger, add larger pieces of wood.
I will try to get photos next time I start a fire. I was too busy trying to get things going and dry out the basement.
