Dirty Little Secret...

One thing I didn't realize about Terry - until our honeymoon - is that he REALLY REALLY hates smoke and fire...

Our honeymoon cottage had a lovely rustic stone fireplace - but despite my numerous hints, he showed no interest in lighting it. So I finally decided to it. (I think he was outside at the time.) When he came back into the cottage, he was REALLY REALLY upset! It didn't help that I hadn't opened the damper of the fireplace, so that smoke could rise through the chimney! (I'm no expert at lighting fires. At home, my father had always lit them!)

So as smoke filled our little cottage - I discovered that my new husband did not enjoy romantic evenings gazing into a fire! (Into a TV perhaps, but not a fireplace!)

Later we bought a house that had a fireplace. Again I hoped we would use it. I suggested buying an energy-efficient insert... and lining the chimney with an insulated metal pipe for safety- but all these years later, we have never used our fireplace. After having it cleaned by a chimney sweep, we closed the damper...














...And a peace lily has sat in front of it for years!

Now for our DIRTY LITTLE SECRET...

Birds and squirrels often sit on the roof - and on the chimney...

And occasionally they drop things in. (We know because we hear a scratchy flutter...)

We've even tried covering the chimney with a metal cap, but winter winds blow it off... so there it is... a wildlife "garbage can."

Someday - probably when the house is sold and a new owner decides to use the fireplace, he or she will open the damper.... and be in for a DIRTY LITTLE SURPRISE. I hope they have an open garbage bag ready! I don't even want to imagine what the mess will be like when everything that has dropped down the chimney over the years falls in!

Why am I mentioning this?! Because sitting here blogging... I again heard something fall... This time it sounded like a pine cone...

But I'm not going to open the damper to find out!