Yesterday the new fireplace insert arrived. And the furnace has only kicked in twice since then--once at 4:00 am when the fire had died down, and once when I was washing dishes and it started up to heat the water. We are officially a wood-burning home once again.
They had the new chimney liner and the stove in, and the old stove out, in short order. I had hoped the old insert might fit in the great room fireplace, but no go--the fireplace is too small. In fact, they felt that I might better get rid of the mantle, put in a nice hearth, fill in the wall, and put in a stand-alone woodstove. But that's for another year. I can't even imagine how much that would cost.
So the great room is now closed down for the rest of the winter, and I've moved into the den. Of course I had to move the ottoman in here for the cats. Ivan is pleased to have a fire again, and Norma, the upstairs cat, surely is as well, because the fireplace heats the room above, and she's no longer living in a chilly winter wonderland.
So I am now back into the Frugality Zone. I had my little two months of luxury but now its time to save money and be sensible.
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