For Bovey Belle

 It did not strike me until later that 'pot belly' stove might be an unfamiliar word for some folks. It is a small wood or coal burning heat stove to stick into a work shop or, in Levi's case, he builds hunting shanties. This can be stuck into a corner and kept fed with scraps from his saw mill. The only moving parts on the door and the grate at the bottom. You open the 'draft' at the bottom to pull more oxygen into the base of the fire to make it burn quickly. It is also where you clean out the ashes. It's usually wide open while you're starting the fire. Once the fire catches, you adjust it so that the heat is not being directed straight up the chimney. There is usually a draft in the chimney as well, a plate inside the chimney pipe controlled by a handle outside the pipe so that you can control the amount heat going up your chimney. A fine line between losing all your heat and filling your space with smoke! Your fire will burn more slowly, but provides more heat. 

The draft on the door would be kept shut during that process so that the shanty does not fill with smoke. It would be opened a bit to let heat into the room and also as a way to insure that the fire was getting the right amount of oxygen. You can also keep an eye on whether or not you need to add more wood without opening the door. The cast iron also collects and radiates the heat. You don't want to touch a pot belly stove. 

The stove would sit on a fireproof piece. It would be set away from the wall. Usually there is a fireguard behind it too, to protect the wall. 

So there is everything you need to know about pot belly stoves. 

Mattie called today. I was glad to hear from her. She did not know who had dropped off the rocking chair and the woodstove. They were puzzled. I told her about the auction. She was very interested. Her sister Katie got married this week, and I imagine that they are looking for furniture. 

She said that Andy (her oldest boy) had gone to the neighbor's house, but no one really understood what had happened, so I explained it to her. When I told her that the man's name was Joshua, and that he had said Levi had done some business with him, buying some tools, she exclaimed, "I know exactly who you are talking about. He was back here today." He was trying to sell Levi some tools that are against their rules.  

The first time that the guy came to the house, he was with his father. Now he is coming alone and Mattie is uneasy about him. She, too, worries about drugs. The long and the short of it is that they did not get robbed. They are on alert. That's good enough for now.

The question came up and I wanted to make sure that everyone understood. The police were not called, because Joshua did not do anything illegal. He was suspicious, sure. Shady as hell. But he had not done anything to be arrested for, although he certainly warranted keeping an eye on. 

or maybe he was just a rural version of Jim Carey. 

Dunno. 

Thanksgiving is coming. Tomorrow morning, I'll pick up a batch of turkeys. We will be spending the holiday with my sister and her family.