Crackling Fire

First Fire

We lit our first fire in the fireplace a couple of nights ago. Although there were fireplaces in the four houses we lived in Florida, we had never used them. Somehow they seemed to be more decorative than functional and there wasn't the right kind of weather for one to be in the mood for a crackling fire.  

We weren't really sure if the fireplaces, there are two, one in the living room, one in the basement, had been swept or inspected recently but we took a chance and lit the fire anyway.  After some fiddling with a stuck damper, Kirk managed to start a roaring fire in no time.  It created a cave-like atmosphere of warmth and safety, very primordial.

Speaking of warmth, I have to mention that the heating system in our house is very efficient and that the house itself is very well insulated, in contrast to the most recent house we occupied in Gainesville.  The heating system manages to maintain a constant 72 degree indoor temperature throughout all three floors of the house, seemingly without any effort.  I especially like the feature of the floor registers (heat vents) in the house, which are very common here; they help circulate heated air more efficiently and keep the feet warm on the bare floor.