Go fish

Some people claim to enjoy the smell of a wood fire. Maybe I don't like the smell because it reminds me of working with the volunteer fire department. Maybe it goes back further to when I worked the fire line with the Forestry Service. Tonight winter is creeping in which means some neighbors fire up their fireplaces or their wood burning stoves. I wish they wouldn't "choke them down" so that all they produce is a minimum of heat for them and a maximum amount of smoke for the neighbors. It's worse when there is a temperature inversion.

THe saddest part is one of the neighbors did a "do myself" install of a woodstove. I asked him whether he got a building permit or had anyone inspect his handiwork. "Don't need nobody to tell me how to do anything." I've seen chimney fires. I've seen the aftermath of chimney fires. I've been alarmed out of a warm bed in the middle of the night to go fight chimney fires. Anybody who tries to heat their house with wood needs to do more than work up a sweat splitting wood. Get the darn installation inspected! And one a year yet the chimney inspected. And don't gripe about having to reline the flue. You made the choice. If you think cleaning a flue is messy you out to see what happens when volunteer firemen come into your house in the middle of the night.