Late Saturday afternoon, Honey and I drove up one to the top corner of our fair valley. There's a place there with cut wood stacked as high as I could imagine a log stack having any integrity. We pulled into the lot. We both expected (though neither of us had expressed this expectation to the other one) "surly log guys." Instead we were greeted by friendly log guys, who discussed our wood options--citrus, eucalyptus, mixed, etc. We went with eucalyptus because I requested the longest-burning wood they had.
"It's a little hard to get going, but once you do, it will burn forever"
The FJ was all loaded up (its rubber interior was a comfort once I looked at all the logs we had bought). Honey and I got the wood back to the log holder using a tarp. I didn't fall down, even once. Che il miracolo!
There are those who have not lived in Southern California who will wonder about our acquisition of wood for the fireplace.
We're deep into Santa Ana season. Usually the Santa Anas are dry hot winds. This year, they have taken on a new quality. They are cold and persistent. As usual, I have perma-headache. And my nostrils have lost all dampness. Bleedy motherfucking membranes.
So, as the cities around us burn (literally), Honey and I light hard-to-keep-going fires in our fireplace in the middle of one of the non-fire zone in our region.
I have discovered one thing that will get that eucalyptus to burn all night. Speaking, as I was, of miracles...may I present the JavaLog? They're a little pricey, but seem worth it to me. I got mine at Whole Foods. Environmentally friendly, these things burn hot and long and when cradled amongst even the most stubborn logs, and will promote flames with the most stubborn wood. Now if only they could do something about my nose and head. I suppose, if the choice is between miracoli piccoli and nessuni miracoli, I'll go with the small ones every time.
7 comments:
So let me get this right: you drive out to the log depot and the friendly wood guys discuss the different varieties available? Did they load the truck or did you?
I'd pay good money for a short video of the two of you dragging a tarpload of wood across the yard.
Citrus? Eucalyptus? Don't y'all have any good old oak out there to burn? :)
Oak? Oak? No way, not here. I miss acorns. They have these things called live oaks. Oak pretenders.
They loaded the wood into the truck.
No videos were taken.
You know I'm a fan of a good fire so I'm very pleased to hear of your wood acquisition. As for the bleeding motherfucking membranes... well... good luck. Blech.
californians buying wood..this is fun stuff.
listen folks. we are in new england. we ALL burn wood here. you do it to survive.
couple of tips.
next time get the mixed wood - but keep it separate. this is what we do (albiet not with those fancy west coast woods)
use the lighter stuff to get that puppy fired up (not an actual puppy) and get a nice hotcoal base.
then load on your long burning euka-cacti or whatever it is you clog wearing folks burn out there.
if you get some nice dry, light wood - you won't need your fancy supermarket wax based starters so much.
Wow, weese, thanks. I feel like I just got my own personal tip-o-the-day.
I'm going to laminate it and put it near the fireplace. I clearly need help. :)
I want the Java Logs to smell more like coffee when they burn, which is to say, at all like coffee. There's a kicky pic on the box of coffee cups cavorting and spilling themselves all over a lava field.
The first night we burned the euca-cacti wood our logs were still aglow when we went to bed. When I exited the bedroom at about 3 o'clock in the morning to make a mid-slumber wee, the house was rich with fireplace aroma. I went to the living room to check on things and found the damn thing still glowing. We shouldn't be allowed to play with fire in SoCal; we'll burn something down for sure.
o geez. do i have to worry about you two now? going to sleep with the fire going... you have a screen at least yes?
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