Can we come in?

Two of my neighbors knocked on my door last evening, asking if they could talk with me about my wood stove.

At first, I thought maybe, being downwind of my chimney, they might have issues with the wood smoke. But no, they’d been talking as they took their little girls around for Halloween the other night and both are very interested in getting wood stoves. They wanted to talk with me about mine and look at it. I was glad to hear, too, that they not only rarely see smoke coming out of my chimney, they even more rarely smell it. That’s good to know.

Both fellows are in their early thirties with young families. They’ve worked tirelessly on their properties and have also been extremely generous toward a couple of our neighbors who are frail and ill. They’ve been a welcome addition to the neighborhood. And yet, I’ve never really met them before, beyond waves and brief greetings when we pass each other by. I was delighted to bring them inside.

They examined the stove and how it was arranged, they poked and prodded, opened the door and stuck their heads inside. They asked a lot of questions and were surprised (but happy!) to hear that my little stove heats the entire house. I brought out the manual and assorted papers that came with my wood stove and let them browse. They asked what my advice would be to someone about to go buy a wood stove, things to look for when buying, what I’ve learned using mine, the cost of wood, where I get it.... Basically, they picked my brain clean.

They both agreed that this is for them. They want one yesterday. Both were animated when they left and walked back up the street talking a mile a minute. Now their only difficulty will be finding one—retailers around here are back ordered for weeks, if not months.

It was fun sharing my enthusiasm with a couple of neighbors who share the enthusiasm. And I’m glad we finally met. They’re really nice.