Let There Be Fire

It's cold out.... sunny, but cold. The woolly worm (the great winter weather predictor last October) was right: Winter was hard in the beginning and likely to be hard toward the end. I think the grace period of nearly 70 degrees is gone.... so, in honor of my birthday yesterday we bought a portable fire pit or fire box. Soon, when husband Robert has it assembled, there will be fire on the patio. Actually, I'm looking forward to a little weenie roast, maybe some toasted marshmallows and some hanging out time.

The patio--which is out the back door of the Prospect Hill Inn--has a microclimate all its own anyway. It is always warmer than elsewhere, perhaps because buildings protect it and because it is south facing with a concrete paver "floor" to act as a heat sink. Anyway, it stays nicer than many parts of the property most of the year. Still, a little fireplace action on cool nights, even in summer, would be nice.

We picked a model from Lowes which has a roof (and a cover). It rains a LOT here and I cannot imagine having an actual fire pit which might require bailing icky, ash-laiden water! So, it's an upright model with four sides for viewing--think of a four-sided fireplace, if you will.

So, that is our project for the week (assembly) as we mop up after most of the Valentine's Weekend revelers have gone home. They had wonderful weather Saturday and really enjoyed the Cranberry Stuffed French Toast. I'll leave that new recipe for another time.

Now, let me head up to the back where we have a BIG pile of little tree limbs and sticks. I think we'll have fuel for the patio fireplace for a long time to home!