The Rural Voice, 2003-10, Page 8COLLEEN
PURDON.
�T
NDP
Bruce - Grey - Offen Sound
This election is Gout people
like you. It's about -your right to
choose the best future for you,
your family, and your
community.
The NDP publicpower strategy
will keep water, hydro, health
and education in public hands.
Make a choice
for a better future.
779 2nd Ave. E.,
Owen Sound, ON N4K 4M4
519-372-1829
email:
co I leen_purdon @ publicpower.ca
bi• cpower
Authorized by the CFO of the
Colleen Purdon NDP Campaign
4 THE RURAL VOICE
Carol Riemer
Kindling spirits
Carol Riemer
is a freelance
writer who
lives with her
husband and
two
children near
Grand
Valley,
Ontario.
After all these years, it's still a
dear old friend, warm and giving, one
that never really complains, and is
always young at heart. I remember
that cold, damp day in October, when
the wood stove first arrived at our
doorstep.
Trees that had shaded us through
the sweltering summer heat were
beginning to reveal, beyond their
leafless bare branches, a dark fall sky.
I didn't know it at the time, but it was
the day that would forever change my
perception of wood stoves.
Like many others, my husband
and I had grown up with central
heating and traditional fireplaces.
With an abundance of oil and gas,
however, traditional fireplaces had
begun to fall into disuse and
disrepair. Sometimes, they were
revived for the holidays, but often
they were forgotten during the rest of
the year, dismissed as nothing more
than a bother. Unlike the high
efficiency fireplaces and inserts of
today, old-fashioned hearths lost heat
at an alarming rate. Drafty, and
sometimes dangerous, the decline in
their use seemed sadly inevitable.
Concerns over fluctuations in the
price and the supply of oil convinced
my husband and I that we needed a
dependable back-up source of heat, in
case of emergency. Our local
hardware offered a variety of wood
stoves and, eventually, we decided on
a medium-sized model, complete
with firebricks and cast iron doors.
A few days later, a truck pulled
into the driveway. Two young
fellows eagerly jumped out, and as
they struggled to carry their weighty
delivery up the front steps, a hinge
pin came loose. One of the doors fell
off, tipping the stove, and inflicting a
small dent on one side. It was an
unfortunate beginning to what would
become a long and distinguished
wood burning career.
Just like acquiring pets or having
children, at some point in time, you
realize you're going to have to feed
them. It was no different with the
wood stove. Locating a firewood
dealer, my husband and I quickly
hopped into the car, and headed out
to the country. Too busy
congratulating myself on
navigating through what I then
thought was the wilderness, I
managed to catch my hand in the car
door, just as we reached our
destination. Needless
to say at that moment the idea of
gathering wood lost some of its
romantic appeal.
A week later, the firewood finally
arrived. Tossed from the back of a
truck, it filled our short city driveway
like a log jam. I looked up at the gray
clouds on the horizon, and pondered
the possibility of rain. We spent most
of that weekend splitting and stack-
ing, learning how to wield an axe
without cutting off a foot, and
discovering that fingers do not like
being wedged between one block of
wood and another. We found out how
important it is to keep your wood dry,
and to have your stove pipe and
chimney cleaned regularly. The
things we learned in those early days
helped us a great deal.
A few years later, we finally
packed up our wood stove, and
moved to the country.
With proper care and feeding, a
wood stove is a friend you can
always depend on. It will keep you
warm on those chilly country nights,
when another blanket just won't do,
or when the power suddenly goes out.
It will heat up your coffee in the
morning and simmer a little soup for
you at night. And, as the years go by,
you'll be able to cozy up, after a long
day of working outside, stare into the
fire, and remember with affection,
those kindling spirits of long ago.0