Early in the morning, I open the iron door of the Buck Stove that breathes heat into the living room most days and evenings. Set into an existing limestone fireplace, the stove warms the living room where Kit and I gather each evening and talk about a world of things that affect our lives. I’ve come to appreciate this stove that keeps us warm when cold winds blow and gives us a sense that somehow everything will be alright.  

Cathy Salter

Building a fire is a ritual that never feels to me like a chore.  It begins with scooping ash from prior fires into an old green bucket.   The next step is to tear strips of newspaper lengthwise and wad them up and stuffing the paper under the iron grate inside the stove.  Dried twigs and small branches broken into short lengths are then stacked over a few pieces of Georgia fat wood lined up atop the grate as a base for pieces of seasoned split firewood–the final layer set in place.

~ Read the rest in today’s Journal ~