pellet stove

As an adult, I've come to appreciate doing chores to some extent.  I think it's partly because I know I'm doing chores for my own benefit, and partly because worklife is so brain-intensive at times that I welcome the mundane repetition and creative approaches I sometimes take to do things.  Every chore can be done a bit differently each time.  For instance, we can either let the cat litter go for days on end and then clean out the boxes all at once.  Or, we can scoop them out each day and come trash day, the work is already done.  I bet the cats like the latter better, but either way works.  We can do dishes via the dishwasher, or one by one as we use them, or plop them into the sink and do a bunch at once.  One of my favourite things to do is to allow the dishwasher to fill a bit, then wash my tea stuff in a bin as is common.  Then, not wanting to waste the washing water, I load up the bin with dishes from the washer.  Eventually the washer is emptied.  If I didn't have the dishwasher, I'd probably hate doing dishes.  Go figure.

This morning I walked past the pellet stove on my way to the laundry room and smelled woodsmoke.  Yay!!  Woodsmoke!!  I love the smell of woodsmoke!!  It reminded me that it probably needed some maintenance, though.  So when I was done with the laundry I go back to the stove to perform routine maintenance.

Soon I'd grabbed a metal spoon to dig the very-stuck-on, dried, black charred stuff off the bottom of the pellet pot.  Otherwise, the lever wouldn't pull out and the pot wouldn't drop its remains into the ash tray down below.  Dale had told me you have to work it back and forth a bit.  Ha.  I know he has more patience than me, but egads, I wasn't willing to wait that long to empty the darned thing.  As it was, it took me several minutes to dig the crud off with the spoon.  It was really stuck on!  But I got it and now the thing opens nicely again.  I suppose they can't use teflon where flame is...

Anywho, while I was doing this, I needed light.  Pulling on the knob with one hand and digging with a spoon with the other at the same time left little in the way for light-holding.  My teeth didn't like holding the little flashlight.  So I got the Gorilla light out and let it cling to the stove.  Pellet stoves, after all, are made of cast iron.  And, cast iron is magnetic.  And, the Gorilla light has three pendable legs that all end in magnetic ends.  Ha!  So there's my Gorilla hanging from the side of the stove like it's made to do that (it is) and I'm digging away, scratch scratch, dig, scratch.  Stove:  1.  Me:  2.  I win!

Then I dragged out the vacuum and Kitty didn't get scared.  Him.  She was two feet from the thing and never budged.  I swear she's losing her hearing.

Also on today's list are any miscreant dishes, tea, main vacuuming, breakfast, a bit of organizing, and then some outings with Dale.  I feel like cooking, too, but I don't know what yet.  Perhaps once I'm fed that will change.

Hm.  I should probably wash windows, too, since it's starting to get cold out.  That might have to wait for an unseasonably warm day... hey, I'm a mac person!  lol

-- me