Saturday, October 29, 2016

Wood Stove Update and Tips


Ok. I had great intentions to answer many of the wood stove related questions I've been asked a long time before now. But here you go! I'm experimenting with putting most of the content in video form. As I look at the stats of what you all view, it seems many people prefer videos to written words and photographs. I prefer the later, but I seem to be in the minority. And recording a video is hours faster for me than writing out the same info. So let me know what you all think!




And if you, like me, prefer photos, don't worry. There will still be lots of those since that is what I prefer.! 


In this shot you can more clearly see where that metal plate I showed you in the videos sits in the bottom of the stove between the firebricks.


And the now burning fire obscures this a bit, but you can sort of see how the edges of the metal plate we added do not go quite the whole way to the edges inside, allowing air to flow out from under it and feed the base of the fire.


The fire braid that we stuffed in the space around the door that had been created for it.


This shot just let you see what the chimney looks like on the exterior of the house.


Above, just a nice glowing hot fire. And below, you can see how if you look up to the top inside of the stove, the flames curls up around and into the baffles that help thoroughly burn (more of) everything in the smoke before it heads up the chimney.




Here's what my pipes did look like the first time I pulled them apart. That is a lot of creosote plugging them up!



Using this little torch, we burned out all that buildup.


Once lighted, there was plenty of buildup in there to burn for a little while. 



After it burned out, here's how much drier and flaky all that build up became. At that point, I was able to brush it out with a chimney brush.



In case you forgot why I have a wood stove? Here's two shots of my house last winter. This time of year is rapidly approaching again!








Friday, October 28, 2016

Fall Wrapping Up


Hey folks. I'm trying to get back in the swing of updating things here. I was able to do a little tour outside my house this afternoon and show off some of my work. Like my little wood shed that I built and am kind of proud of. 



At this point everything is so soggy, I'm ready for the ground to freeze up and just have snow instead of rain. And just for fun, here's some of the wildlife I've seen around my house in the last few weeks. 






All of these amazing animals were within a few hundred yards of my house. I do get to live somewhere pretty amazing!








Sunday, October 23, 2016

Afternoon Around my Place


Around my house this afternoon. After I got off work I split another pile of wood. This fox was right below my house (like you could see him from inside) and while still cute, something is wrong with him. He looks kind of rough compared to all the others I've seen in the area and even though I watched him for a while, he never opened his eyes any further than this. I hope he's not rabid, but he's sick with something. And then there's always the mountains and things like this eagle was fishing right over the nearby creek.



Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Update & Photos


Thank you all for your concerns and kind words since my last post. I'm trying to get things back together in my personal life and do have a lot of posts I want to get written and up here soon. I am still very much living in my tiny house, winter is settling in here, and life is gradually slowing down a bit. 


For something other than politics tonight, here's some variety! After looking at this since I completed it a few weeks ago, I'm finally sharing it here. I guess I hesitated because I don't want to be one more friend filling up your newsfeed with "hey, buy this product" type posts. But after some serious encouragement from some good friends and requests from other folks over the years, I have set up a site where you could buy some of my photos if that interests you. I will continue to share photos here like always and will not be pushing this site all the time. But if you like it, of course feel free to share!

http://arielcelestephotography.zenfolio.com


Photography has always been a hobby I really enjoy for myself, but I do also enjoy sharing the photos with others. The site allows you to order any photo you like in various forms. Want a canvas on your wall? A calendar? Cards? Tee shirt? Real postage stamps? Mug? Cutting board? Holiday ornaments? Stickers? Magnets? Etc. These and more are all available, and yes, your purchases will help me do things like buy groceries and pay off my house. If I've ever shared a photo that you really like and it's not on my site, please let me know and I will be happy to add it. Thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement over the years!