Hmmmmmm.... A big red truck pulled into our yard yesterday.... Wonder why????
NO----the men in the little white coats didn't come after me!!!!! And NO---I don't have the flu!!!!!! Hmmmmmm---what were they here for????? Come inside!!!
Wow.... Our fireplace got some new clothes... Do you like them????? Seems like they could have chosen a fancier color!!! Actually, if you haven't figured it out yet, this is the annual job done by our Chimney Sweep company.... And NO---little tiny men don't climb up in the chimney and sweep it... These days, they use a huge vacuum --and suck all of the grit and grime out of the fireplace and chimney!!!!!
This is the big vacuum--- which had a nice lunch of grit and grime from our chimney. NO--there were no small animals involved!!!! ha ha .... A big tube hooks into the fireplace/chimney and then comes out of the front door and hooks onto this vacuum.... Too bad they didn't stay awhile and vacuum my home too. Darn!!!!
Here's one more picture of how they cover the fireplace. You can see the black tube coming out in the middle... You can also see some beautiful roses sitting on our coffee table. (I didn't notice this until I looked at the pictures.)
Chimney sweeps do a great job these days --and believe it or not, it is a very clean job! They cover everything --and the entire cleaning takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
Can you hear our chimney/fireplace purring tonight???? Mr. Chimney got his back scratched and got a make-over.... Wow!!!!!
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Several of you have asked where we live. We are on a side street --with very little traffic (thank goodness) ---and we live on a golf course. Enlarge this Google Earth picture ---and look for the red print with an arrow --showing "Our Home"....
This is a 'protect the trees and wildlife' area... If you cut down any trees, you have to get permission --and then replace them with new trees. That is one thing I love about the area. It is truly like 'living in the woods'.
We have an empty lot (wooded) next door and there was one across the street until they built another home over there. We had almost total privacy until the house across the street was built... Grrrrrr!
You can barely see our home because we are surrounded by trees (except in front) ---but you can see a few of the homes in our area ---where there aren't as many trees. We love our little home --and it's perfect for a couple of retirees!!!!
My only regret is not buying somewhere where we had more land --and more privacy. But--we are very safe here; so overall, we truly are blessed.
Have a great Wednesday...
Hugs,
58 comments:
Thanks for the lesson. I had no idea how they cleaned chimneys today, although I've seen ads. The ads always conjure up the picture of Dick Van Dyke as Burt in Mary Poppins.:)
Your home site sounds wonderful. My husband and I are looking for a similiar situation for our next home.
I love the new header---an awesome photo.
Enjoyed reading your post while sipping my morning HEALTHY shake --made it go down faster.
Blessings.
Mornin sunshine!
I sure didn't know about cleaning fireplaces this way. All i know is I like to sit in front of the fire and stare my little eyes out. It is a happy, happy place! And don't the tobacco barns smell good?
You live in an idyllic place!
Nice, Betsy. I hope you get to use your fireplace this year. At the moment, we are back into summer time temps!
Jane
Hi Betsy;) that sure is a neat cleaning job. I noticed the roses too. Cool touch. I loved seeing where you live and what a lovely protected place it is. Have a blessed day, my friend. (((Hugs))) Jo
Chimeysweeps are an absolute necessity and worth their weight in gold!
Beautiful area you're in...love that GREEN!
Hi Betsy,
You are so funny.
After watching Bugsy Malone, I know, it's not men in white who comes for you, but men in black. LOL
funny we should both post on chimneys.
Ph dear, these big machines have replace the men in tights in Mary Poppins.
Happy to hear your chimney got his annual checkup; got his "pipes" cleaned out and is now healthy and ready to serve you this winter. Your neighborhood looks like a lovely place to live.
Hi there, Betsy. So interesting to read about how they sweep chimneys now. I like their slogan---very clever (you know how I love those puns). :-)
You live in such a beautiful place. We have four acres here (and pretty good privacy), but one of the down sides is having so much to mow this time of year. With Tom on a riding mower and me with a push, it still takes us the better part of a day.
Neato!!! Technology sure has been something the two of you have embraced...I'll bet the grands have to work to keep up with their grandparents!!!
good to know the men in white jackets didn't get ya! LOL We have 3 different size chimney brushes and William cleans our chimney and woodstove. It can get messy so I like your way a lot better. :) have a wonderful day, oh! I loved seeing where you live. It's almost like a forest.
Very educational post today Betsy. Loved reading about the electric chimney sweep. Had I known about it three years ago I might have been able to convince Frances that we did not need to go to a gas fire-place log! ☺ Gas is so much easier to keep clean - but I seriously miss the smell of wood smoke.
Looks like you live in a really nice area and I like the tree cutting policy.
I wish we had such fireplace cleaners as that. In the next couple of days my sisterhoods is going to come over and help me with mine. I don't like heights so she will get up on the roof with the brushes -- myjob will be to clean out the firebox of all the creosote etc. D used to do that job.
I love how your area is so treed and somewhat private. Our little community is sort of like that but perhaps not as safe.
Sounds like you and your chimney are all ready for colder weather.Isn't it wonderful to have skilled people who can do these jobs for us?Thanks for pointing out where you live,it just makes you so much more 'real'.Hope this day is filled with joy.
Blessings,Ruth
Wish I had a fireplace with a fire going right now! It's chilly up here this morning. Never fear though; we will have 85 degree weather before the sun sets. DO have these big swings in temps down there? In the spring and fall, we can have 40's in the morning and hop up to the 80's in the late afternoon. Crazy Hoosier weather!
Looks like you home pretty well tucked in to the scenery of the course. It's probably a give and take with the privacy vs. perks of living where the roads are maintained and the grocery store isn't too far away.
Very interesting post, Betsy. I had our chimneys cleaned a few years back and the fellow went up on the roof and down the chimney. He had to put vent covers on too because we got some birds down one of the chimneys..
It is fun to google map an area. You live in a lovely civilized place. MB
That seems a much cleaner job than it used to be. It is one job we don't have to worry about living in the sub tropics. Although there are people around us who have Fires but they are enclosed ones not open fires. On the few weeks that it is cold we use the reverse cycle aircon. Clean but expensive.
You live in a lovely spot. I hope all your bloggy friends don' all call at once.
Google earth is fun. If we go to our house I'm working in the garden. he he
It is so great that you got your flue cleaned....that starts so many fires...
I'm with you on the privacy issue. We have people looking at land adjoining ours....ugh....wish we could buy more land around us!
I had no idea how they cleaned chimneys. Now you are all set for winter and SNOW!!!
Thankfully it's a lot cleaner process than it used to be. Did anyone start singing 'Chim chiminey'? haha!
☼ Sunny
Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
Looks like a wonderful place to live! That is a nice service they are providing!
I didn't know how they swept chimneys now. Interesting! Looks like a great place to live with lots of trees. I would like that.
The sweeps come here, too. I'm amazed at how clean they are as well!
You live in a beautiful area!!
Love the color of that truck!
Do you burn wood in your fireplace? We had ours converted to gas. Wonder if a gas one, needs big red truck work too?
We don't have a fireplace in our home. I wish that we did. We enjoyed visiting Bob's brother, when he lived in Virginia, and sitting in front of their fireplace.
You live on a golf course? Do either of you golf?
Hi Betsy, Nice to know about the chimney sweep - I may use them sometime. Yes, the area is a hidden gem! We are quite lucky that the natural environment/ecology is important in our community.
Have a wonderful day!
Amazing how they clean the chimneys now. So easy and so efficient and with absolutely no soot anywhere.
Gone are the days of the lonely chimney sweep, with his broom up the flue...
In London, they used to choose small boys and send them up the chimneys to clean them out, and then light the fire in the hearth to get out if they became stuck, isn't that awful !
Much more people friendly these days.
Yippee for clean chimneys!!!!
You do live in a beautiful area...having neighbors near by does have it's advantages I think.
Of course, mine are not close. :)
Love the birds eye view of your hourse!
It is so important to have your chimney cleaned isn't it? Wonderful job..your area is so green!
The is a DELIGHTFUL post and you are making me laugh and laugh!!! Can you please get your chimney cleaned every week? How about if I pay for it, please?? Being allergic to dust, my eyes sure popped out of my head when I saw that giant, puffy dust bag!! I love your Google earth image! I think I told you that we had an empty lot across the street when we moved here, and then a house was built there, same as you! You probably would not have been able to find our house without your GPS, no one can. That is good,criminals can't find us.
I love their logo...some people are so quick witted. Think of me when you are sitting by your fire...
You're just having that chimney cleaned so Santa doesn't get too dirty when he comes down to see you. :)
I love hearing about the rule to replace trees that are cut down...that is the kind of job I had back in AZ for the County, to regulate builders as to what type and how many needed to be replaced by loss due to buildings. Our rules were stricter because loss of habitat in the deserts around Tucson is rampant because of the urban sprawl, so that, for example, removing one native tree had to be compensated for by planting 3 same-type trees! We were trying to restore what had been lost thru many years of unregulated growth. Some people supported the work the County was doing, while others couldn't understand why it was a "crime" to cut down desert habitat. A scar on the earth in the desert lasts a very, very long time. *sigh*
Gee, I love Google aerial photo-maps! You live in a lush landscape, and I know you are very much in favor of protecting it.
Thank you, Betsy and George!
That reminds me - we need to do that too. Thanks for pointing your house out. Looks like a lovely spot in the world. Diane
Hello Betsy:
I saw your name on someone's Watery Wednesday post, and thought I would stop by to wish you an early welcome to Vancouver. You will love it when you come next summer..this is a pectacular city with so much to see. And yes, you will also adore Victoria. Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel is a must..a little pricey but worth every penny! A stop at the Rogers Chocolate Shop is another of my reccomendations...:)
If you watched any of the 2010 Olympics we hosted in February, you will enjoy seeing the Olympic Torch down near the pier where you'll be docked, though it will not be lit.
I enjoyed your chimney-cleaning story. I've never seen anything like that!
Lynette
What a beautiful parklike setting!
Do you golf?
That red truck is an odd looking thing.
Very interesting post!
Wow - this is cool.... I have never seen this done!
In my younger years, when we had fires and not central heating, we had chimney sweepers, a soot covered man with a chimney brush that extended right up the chimney, he used to shove it up and down the chimney then collect the soot in a bag.
We have these guys about once every two years as well. Ours come with a suit and top hat!
what an amazing place that you live. glad you didn't have the flu! and glad that you got your flue cleaned out. i think i am the only person in our state of utah that does not have a fire place and i want one!!!! maybe someday.
When you and George are together, you are not even aware of others around. Too, you get a lot of privacy on your little outings. You live in a beautiful area to me.
Oh my....just look at that fat vaccuum bag! LOL! Now you are all ready for the winter! :)
Hey, that was easy!! Popped right up!!
I'm lucky you are so computer literate Betsy!! What did you do?
I was going to comment that my hubby sweeps our chimney now but wayyyy back when, it was such a messy affair I used to dread getting it done.
You are lucky you found good people to do it!!
I think I could live there.
I bet it smells so fresh!
Oh wow. That looks like quite the process. Also, the area where you live looks GORGEOUS! I would so love to make it out to Tennessee some day.
Oh that fireplace will feel nice and cozy when those cold winter evenings start happening! I could use one here. It's chilly! :(
Hope you had a terrific day Betsy!
xo Catherine
Well cleaning the flu isn't something we have to worry about here in Vegas....:)
I love your area, and knew it had to be pretty wonderful with all the wildlif you have visiting you on a daily basis!!
Have a fabulous day!!
Look at the education you have given us today about cleaning chimneys. We had a wood stove in the past - - - over 30 years ago and found out what happens when there is too much creosote buildup. The stove had the double metal chimney. We heard it start roaring. Outside it was glowing red hot. We did what seemed logical at the time - - - - - got water and threw in inside the stove on the burning logs so the chimney had no more fuel. Fortunately it burned out quickly. Our guardian angels were at work that night!!! Praise God it happened while we were awake.
Thanks for the reminder Betsy, I need to call and make an appointment to get our chimney cleaned.
You live in a lovely wooded area. I like the part about replacing trees that have been cut down. No wonder you have so much wildlife.
I had to laugh! I just saw B. Mwandering's comment as I was sitting here singing Chim, chimeny, chim, chimeny, .....
I so miss real wood but clicking a button on our gas fireplace takes only a second. :)
I love your surroundings Betsy!
I don't think I've ever read that you and George play golf - do you?
Interesting post, Betsy. Love your overhead photo of your neighborhood too! And I noticed on your sidebar that you are in the 80's!! Lucky girl...we are full swing into autumn here with highs only in the 40's and 50's now...the colors are starting to POP full of oranges, yellows and reds but the air is crisp. Had to take down my hummingbird feeder because of frost so winter is on its way up north here, for sure!
How often does this red truck come to your place?
How interesting to see your home from Google Earth!
That's a great way to clean the flue.
what a wonderful post. you are so funny and i love the way you presented the chimney lesson. well, it's about time to check on my chimney too. it is getting chilly already.
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