Ashes to ashes

Marvin Windows and Doors must be really busy. They have called up their temporary workers in the spring--something they haven't done for several years. So my husband is heading off to work again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. He was working ten hour shifts in the fall. He's cut those down to eight hours and I'm happy about that. When you don't get home until nearly 3 a.m., it's almost morning by the time you get to sleep. I take over some of his chores when he's working, with Sadie and Bear's assistance. We feed and water the goat and the chickens in the morning, and we shut them up in the evening. And we try to keep a fire going in the old wood boiler. My husband and I have differences of opinion on how to tend the boiler. I have the instruction manual on my side. It says, plain as day, "Rake the ashes forward each day and shovel them out frequently." My husband's version--rake the ashes forward and shovel them out if you can no longer squeeze any wood in. Once a year is probably enough. He told me recently that he takes a little out each day. Hah--a teaspoon maybe. I shovelled in a cloud dust quite awhile this morning. There were even chunks of unburned logs buried in those ashes. I was very worried that my fire would go out completely whilst I was doing this. [It's so humiliating to have to confess that it went out on your watch, especially if you've been self righteous about methods and especially if you can't get it going again by yourself.] When I smuggly announced that I had done the shovelling out this morning, I saw a very sly little grin. My husband probably won't have to do it at all this year.