(Originally tried to post this last night at 10. It wouldn’t post then)

Well..today has been….interesting.

The children were up well before the sun and if they’re up, that’s it. Sleep is over for everyone else. So I started things off cranky and not feeling fantastic.

The younger two treated me to a full day of bickering, screaming, disobedience and drama. I sent them to nap around 2 or so, beacause I just couldnt deal anymore. While they did not nap much, and spent much of the time being rude, I tuned them out and stabbed some felt for a while. Art therapy.

This evening – about an hour and a half ago, actually – we had a small chimney fire. It was truly minor as such things go. I heard the roar when it ignited and was able to slam the dampers shut tight within about 10 seconds. The short length of single-wall pipe got a bit hot for a few minutes until it went out. This is why we exeeded all clearances. We had no damage beyond some stinky smoke from the hot pipe. Tonight might get a bit cold, but the kids have extra layers on their beds, and tomorrow, I’ll sweep and visually inspect the pipe. We’re burning a lot of pine right now, so we’d probably be best sweeping every couple weeks to a month. The pipe we installed is designed for easy cleaning, so it shouldnt be a problem.

It’s a good reminder that codes and clearances exist for a reason, and safety can never be overdone when it comes to fire. I’ll be picking up an extinguisher tomorrow, too. Better to have and not need than need and be without.