The critical path item for installing our new wood stove insert had been getting the chimneys cleaned. Local chimney sweeps are scheduling six weeks in advance these days.

But after I got the word that our insert had arrived, I called the chimney sweeps to see if I couldn't get moved up from our Dec. 6th date. By an amazing stroke of good fortune, they just had a cancellation for this coming Monday.

So the chimney sweeps are coming on Monday, 11/21, and the stove insert will be installed the following Monday, 11/28.

Twelve days, and counting (which sure beats the 3+ weeks we would have had to wait otherwise).

The gods of wood heat are smiling on me today, since I also drove past a home about 1/2 mile away where they had just taken down a couple of trees. I asked what they were going to do do with the logs, and they agreed to drop them at my house (which is closer than where they were going to take them).

So I'm getting another cord of wood, maybe two, for free delivered right to my doorstep. Granted, the wood will have to be cut into fireplace-length pieces and split, and it is quite green, but this cuts about 2/3 of the work out of procuring the wood.