Before arriving in America, Desiree harbored a certain image of life here. Interestingly, this image wasn’t that life resembled the scenes on our exported sitcoms or that life in America revolved around a California beach. Instead, Desiree imagined all good Americans sitting beside a warm fire during far-north winter days.
Not
long after Desiree came here, I suggested getting a wood stove, and she readily
supported the idea. Her version of America could be realized. I wanted a
wood-burning stove for more practical reasons. Mainly, I worried about losing
power (read: heat) in sub-zero temperatures. A wood stove immediately solves
that problem. Additionally, we have 20 acres of forest from which we can gather
plenty of free fuel.
We
had a Lopi Endeavor Hybrid stove installed in August. This stove is incredibly
efficient and clean-burning—so efficient that it qualifies for a biomass-fueled
heater tax credit. Yesterday, given the cool morning, we started the first-ever
fire in the stove to “cure” the finish on both the stove and the venting while
flinging the windows of the house open.
Thankfully,
only a faint oil scent and a tinge of smoke were released inside the house as
the wood stove reached full heat. Most incredibly, only an occasional whiff of
smoke issued from the rain cap on the roof once the fire warmed enough for
optimal burning.
All
of this in our sufficiently American life.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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