I have always loved a real fire in a fireplace. The sound of the crackling wood and the movement of the dancing flames always makes me feel happy and brings a smile to my face. To me, a fire represents family and warmth and … home. I cannot remember a time when I have hosted a holiday or a winter event wherein I did NOT have a fire going. I have made so many fires throughout my adult life that I consider myself a bit of an expert and will boast that I can get a fire going with one match, a few pieces of newspaper, a tiny bit of kindling, and three (strategically placed) logs. That is, as long as the logs aren’t wet…
Early last fall, I ran out of wood. Actually, I ran out of wood in February of last year and only remembered that I was out of wood last fall when the first chilly night rolled in and I thought I would make a fire. I considered buying a bundle of wood at the supermarket, but when I saw the price of the bundle, I couldn’t bring myself to buy some. Then the holidays rolled around and, needing to make a fire in a jiffy to complete my Thanksgiving Day ambiance, I decided that I would buy a case of Duraflame logs. Despite my fire-making skills, I have used Duraflame logs in the past as they are terribly convenient and come with a sort of quick guarantee for instant fire enjoyment. In addition, since I now travel over the coldest winter months, I considered that six Duraflame logs would get me through until the end of the Holiday season. Today, a day that reached nearly 60-degrees ironically, I discovered that I had one Duraflame log left…
Oddly, the discovery of the Duraflame log is causing me to reflect a bit on the phases of my life. As a young mother, I would make my own baby food and tomato sauce. I mostly cooked meals from scratch and heating up a frozen dinner was considered a treat. As a (young) grandmother, I buy prepackaged sweets and treats for the grandkids, and I am often the first one to suggest that ordering out for dinner is just easier and more enjoyable for everyone! It’s not that I don’t know how to cook a homemade meal but rather, it’s more that I don’t really FEEL like doing it anymore. Plus, I don’t always have all of the ingredients that I would need and if I need to go to the store to buy some parsley, then I might as well just grab a rotisserie chicken to have for dinner the next night so that no one needs to worry about cooking…
I mean, I COULD just buy some more wood so that I can make real fires in the future, but then I think, like my cooking, why do that when I could just buy another case of Duraflame logs, pop one into the fireplace, strike a match and call it done?
Older? Wiser!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

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