Happy winter solstice, everyone. Winter officially arrived at 4:02 a.m. this morning, locally. While there has been some recent melting, including some today with temps in the upper 30's (F), there just hasn't been enough to get me out by the fire for this one.
I was hoping, it just wasn't meant to be, and I'm afraid there will be no more opportunities until spring. In a couple days here we'll go south of the freezing mark and it looks like that's where we'll stay for the foreseeable forecast. It was a good ride, and I had more fires this year than I ever imagined I would have in a season, but thanks to covid it was my only escape, my only real pleasurable time outside the 4 walls of the house for almost all of 2020.
I don't know if I mentioned it here, but sometime during the last several fires I noticed several loose bricks, so come spring there will be a little repair work needed. Last time I used an adhesive specifically made for outdoor fireplace blocks. It was more expensive, but I wanted it to last - and more than just a few years. I think in spring I'll use Liquid Nails or similar adhesive and see how long that lasts.
So, dear readers, you won't have to listen to me go on and on about it and post mostly firepit pictures for at least several months. Let's hope life gets back to normal sooner than later, or I'll end up doing it all over again next year!
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Christmas is less than a week away now, and we don't plan on going anywhere or seeing anyone, probably just a Zoom call like we did on Thanksgiving. I've got gifts sent off to the younger niece and nephew, and some cash mailed to the older ones. We've given mostly great gifts to all of them for many years now, but as they graduate high school and become adults this will end. I was going to call it a day with their generous lump sum graduation gifts, but I think we'll continue to give token cash at Christmas for a couple more years until they turn 21, then I'm done. I have a few more years of picking out gifts for the younger ones, teenagers now, but then plan on the same for them.
We don't really get gifts for the adults in the family, just a little something for my Mom, like a relevant puzzle or something fun she wouldn't get for herself. My mom, of course, gets us all something even though I tell her it's really not necessary, but she enjoys it. Things are done a little differently on my wife's side of the family, but certainly nothing too extravagant. As for my wife and I, we didn't do much this year. She told me what to get her and when I couldn't think of anything I wanted she just got me a little something, I guess. But she has a January birthday, so I'll have to up my game pretty fast.
What are your holiday plans this year?
6 comments:
Happy Solstice Scoakat! Sorry the snow spoilt your firepit plans.
Can you get 'fire cement' over there? It's made to fix firebricks in wood burning stoves, so might work on your loose bricks.
Gift giving - given that most peple can now afford to buy what they want when they want it's all a bit daft and irrelevant now. All the fuss being made about lockdowns over the festive period - clearly these people don't remember war times, or have living memory relatives who do.
Hi BW! I've not heard of fire cement but I'll look into it.
Do you have any plans or are you barred from travel/guests due to lockdown? Any Zoom meet-ups?
Aha, Witchy got there first with the fire cement suggestion. It's not as cheap as ordinary cement but still probably cheaper than what you used before? I've never used it outside but I remember using it on an indoor fire in my parent's house in the 80's and it was still fine when we sold the house five years ago!
A quiet Winterval for us too this year. We would usually have Mrs.Planarchy's parents, my brother and maybe our elder daughter and her husband and baby for the day. This year it'll just be the two of us with the mother-in-law over for Xmas day as she only lives a couple of miles away. Anything more would be both illegal and irresponsible (we're living in the highest rated part of the UK despite being rural).
Hope you and yours have a great holiday even if there will not be a fire....
Well, now I have to look it up before Delcatto recommends it, too!
After reviewing several products and video, I'm just not sold. Seems more for a firebox in contact with fire than my landscape blocks outside the metal ring (with a small air gap). I'm still leaning toward a silicone adhesive. After all, I'm not laying bricks here. At least, not yet!
Yes, Nic, I think most of us will have a quiet holiday and make the best of it, but I'm sure some will still gather. Let's hope they try to do it safely. Hope your holiday is enjoyable as can be.
Lol. Yes, I recommend the fire cement too! When we looked at installing a wood burner it was recommended.
A quiet time spent at home and phone calls to family and friends. To be honest I am just very glad to have a few days off.
Delcatto, your last sentence is exactly how I feel about holidays!
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