[AT] Gas can rant

[Indiana Robinson]

For a long time around here (corn belt) the standard method of wood / coal
stove lighting was to keep 3 or 4 dried corn cobs soaking in a quart can
about half full of kerosene. Even city folks would go get a big basket full
of cobs from the elevator/mill or some farmer they knew. Today few people
have access to corn cobs.
We started heating with wood/coal in 1965 and have used (mostly wood) for
all or part of our heat ever since. We have started a lot of fires... We
don't start many now since the wood furnace holds fire so well. We joke
about only starting one fire a year. It doesn't really work quite like that
but close to it.
We have been having to buy firewood for a number of years now due to health
issues but the cost of a winters supply of firewood is less than the cost
of one month of mid winter heat off of the gas pipe-line. This is a big
house and while it is pretty well insulated it is a bit hard to heat just
by its stretched out nature.
I avoid using anything like K-1 as fire starter. We have a steady supply of
dry twigs from all of the trees.
The Dotson brothers became world famous for their fire starting skills /
smoke signals at Portland.
:-)  :-)


-- 

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com