First fire of the season

“As Thoreau said, we are fools to box up one of the most beautiful sights in the world – a living fire – and keep it in the cellar.  Smash the television set, turn out the lights, build a fire in the fireplace, move the family into the living room, put a pot on to boil some tea and toddy and have an experiment in merriment, a  sudden, unexpected hearth, the heart and first step in the restoration of a home – to hell with history; it’s bunk! – and see how love will quicken in a single winter’s night.” – Dr. John Senior, The Restoration of Christian Culture