174. Open Flamed Fire

There are some things that are just satisfying. An open flamed wood fire is one of those things, whether it be in a fireplace or a campfire, the warmth, and tending of the flame lend comfort. The work that you spend cutting the wood is satisfying and the warmth of the flame is satisfying. A great deal of excitement is to be found in the warmth of the flames and the controlled nature of the small fire brings comfort and a sense of safety teetering upon danger if you don’t keep the flame small and controlled.

In my family as a kid we always burned wood to keep our home warm. There was a great deal of work involved going out into the woods and finding a “snag” or tree that had been dead long enough to have dried. Falling the tree was exciting, making sure you and everything around was safe and out of the way. Cutting the wood into blocks and splitting them into pieces so they would more effectively fill the pickup was an activity that made you feel strong while also exhausting you enough to enjoy a break with a nice cold beverage. All of that effort and joy went into flames keeping us warm throughout the cold Idaho winters.

Now I burn wood pellets for the same sort of heat with a reduced work load, so I miss that wood cutting, knowing full well that for the most part I romanticize that wood cutting which is truly more effort and time consumption than I care for in my every day reality. But I still have trees and shrubs on my lot and storms still break branches or they need occasional trimming. The work for that can be more labor intensive because now I just use a bow saw. Still, I do it with all my romanticized notions, let those branches cure in the shed, and, along with scraps of boards and cardboard, I build fires outside in a small portable fire pit I have. Sometimes I have people over, sometimes my family joins me, and sometimes I just sit alone around that fire enjoying its warmth and comfort, perhaps roasting a marshmallow or hot dog.

This sort of backyard fire and those summertime camp fires give me a great amount of satisfaction and pleasure and I am gratified that I am able to build a fire every now and then just to experience moments of conversation, warmth, and reflection. I enjoy a good open flame fire.