We were spending the weekend at the patio at my parents house, and since it was getting rather chilly, my dad asked my brother to light up our outdoor fireplace.  My brother than went at the back of the house to  get some wood and materials to start up a fire.  However, my brother seem to be doing something wrong, because whatever he do, he couldn’t even start a small fire.

Our dad after laughing so hard, finally stood up and took the job of starting up the fire, he asked my brother to get new firewood from the  pile which is covered.  The moment my brother got the firewood my dad asked, within minutes we had that warm, crackling and cozy fire we wanted.  My brother was so interested on how our dad was able to start up a fire, where he couldn’t.  My dad gave him a short lecture about the best burn practices, such as using good firewood.  Good firewood are wood seasoned throughout the summer for six months, and that has been split properly.  It is also important to maintain proper airflow by removing ashes from the fireplace and placing it on metal containers. And it is also best to start a fire using newspapers and dry kindling.   My dad said that my brother wasn’t able to start a fire because the wood he used showed signs of molds.  While my dad continued giving my brother a few more pointers in starting up a fire, I noticed the new fireplace accessories they bought, such as the new mantel and damper pulls.  There were also fire screens that not only serve as decoration but also it keeps the fire safely contained.  When it was getting too cold to stay at the patio any longer, my dad carefully put out the fire, placed the ashes in a metal container, and asked my brother to put it at the back of the house.  After making sure that there were no embers left, we all went inside for some hot choco.