There’s something about that first morning chill in Homestead that makes me pull out my fuzzy socks and start hinting to Josh that it’s time to light the wood-burning stove. He pretends he doesn’t hear me. Then Ethan chimes in with, “Can we roast marshmallows again?” and suddenly it’s a family project, which means twice the mess and half the efficiency, but twice the fun.
Our wood-burning stove has been through a lot—burnt popcorn attempts, sticky s’mores disasters, and one unforgettable moment where Josh tried to “speed up the fire” with a hairdryer (spoiler: don’t). Still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s this funny little heart of our home that makes winter feel slower and cozier, even in South Florida where “cold” means you might need a light sweater for fifteen minutes.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of trial, error, and mild singeing: dry wood is everything. Wet logs hiss like angry snakes and smoke up the room faster than you can yell, “Ethan, open a window!” We keep a small stack under the porch, covered just enough to stay dry but with airflow so it doesn’t mold. Josh calls it “my log art,” which sounds fancier than it looks.
Getting the fire started is part patience, part prayer. Crumpled paper, kindling, a match—boom, warmth. But the trick is feeding it slow. Too much wood too fast and it’s like a toddler on a sugar rush—wild for ten minutes, then dead quiet.
The stove heat hits differently, though. It’s the kind that sinks into your bones. The kind that makes coffee taste richer and laundry-folding almost tolerable. The kind that turns a regular Tuesday into “let’s make cocoa and do nothing for a while.”
I swear the smell alone—smoky and a little sweet—should be bottled. It’s the scent of home, of socks drying on the hearth, and of Josh pretending he’s a pioneer while I’m Googling “can you bake bread on a stove?”
Winter might be short here, but those few weeks around the fire? They’re my favorite kind of slow. The kind that makes you forget about screens and to-do lists and just sit there, soaking up the glow.