Originally Posted by
HawkOwl
As a side note: Wonder how many practice starting a fire? Especially when sub-zero and a tall chimney it can take some skill. Or, like one of my friends, he sends his elementary school kids out for the propane torch. It is their job to get the campfire, wood stove, or whatever going after he puts in the fuel.
When I was about 15 I worked at a Family Camp as Junior Counselor. We did a psuedo American Indian campfire one night each week, all dressed up in headress and feathers, etc., and one of my jobs was getting a fire started using a bow, dowel, spindle and hearth (with a notch in it for the spark to fall down onto the leather receptacle, from whence it was placed in very fine kindling, and with just the right amount of blowing (not too much or you blow it out) where it would start to flame, then more kindling, and finally, a fire. Now, that was certainly a longer activity than lighting a match.
Is that the kind of "practice" you mean?
And, as a kid I used to chop and split, but now someone at the gas plant must do that as the wood/fire comes right into our house in the form of some sort of vapor.