When I was at the University of Virginia, getting my last degree, I had the pleasure of living in one of the historical rooms On-Grounds for four of my five years there. The Range is set aside for graduate students, and the rooms mirror the more well-known rooms that line the Lawn, all part of Jefferson's original Academical Village. Among the features are working fireplaces, and I was pretty notorious for having daily fires, as long as the outside temps dipped below 50 degrees. The room would get so hot I'd even have to open a window, but doggone, I loved having a good raging fire going. I'd go to sleep with it still cooking away, and in the morning, I'd be able to tell how good a fire I'd built by whether everything had burned away. And part of my morning rituals included clearing out the ash and setting up for the coming evening's fire, all before I'd walk down to the showers or begin tackling other duties of the day.
I think I'm a bit of a goober. But I really like the routine of getting up in the morning, after having a fire the previous evening, and cleaning up the ashes and setting the wood up on the grate for the next occasion to light up the fire again. Last night's game night and baked spaghetti supper here brought together six of us, and along with the visiting, competition, grub, and wine, a blazing fire in the fireplace just seemed to make sense. This was Meal No. 56 since the new kitchen addition was completed last spring.
So with this ongoing cold snap, it will be just right to come in from dinner out at Chang Thai tonight and light a match to the already-set-up logs in the fireplace, and use that as the evening's time to unwind and relax. Some beer or wine, music on the iPod, maybe the current book of interest...and the glow of a good blaze coming across the hearth.
No comments:
Post a Comment