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| New fenced item in our yard, next to the deck! |
Hello Friends, We have something NEW in our yard.... You know that we call our car, Mrs. P.. Well--our new 'friend' is named Mr. PT.......Do you have any idea what is behind that fence???????
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| George built this fence with materials from Lowe's. |
NO---it's not a new home for our resident birds --nor squirrels ---nor chipmunks -- nor for our nightly visitors, the raccoons....
My hint is that it is something which our Community Club says (in their rules) that MUST be hidden --so as not to take away from the beauty in our community!!!!! (That's why George built the fence!!!!) SO---it must be quite ugly!!!!!! Hmmmmmmm.
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| Meet Mr. PT (our new Propane Tank) |
Okay---I'll tell you what it is. Please meet our new Propane Tank (Mr. PT)... I think he's kinda cute, don't you? Don't know why we had to fence him in! Maybe someone thinks that Mr. PT will try to escape..... Ya think?
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| Mr. PT (from the deck) |
This is what Mr. PT looks like when I'm standing on the deck--looking down on that 100 gallon tank. Now ---do you have any idea why we bought Mr. PT??????? We are an all-electric house ---so we have never used propane gas for anything....
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| Remember what we used to have here?????? |
This picture is Clue Number 2...... We used to have a huge WOODPILE here. Remember??????
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| Wagon Full of WOOD --getting ready to leave us! |
But---we gave all of our left-over wood away to a friend.... See that doggie? That's SWEETIE... Sweetie's Daddy came with his trailer.
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| Sweetie's Daddy GLADLY took our left-over Wood!!! |
This is Larry (Big Dude), blog friend whose blog is
HERE. When we visited Larry and family/friends in their home not long ago, I mentioned that we had some left-over wood we needed to get rid of. Larry and a friend along with Sweetie took me up on my offer --and came to get the wood not long ago.
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| Bye Bye, Larry---and our WOOD |
After loading up all of the wood, I offered the guys (George, Larry, and his friend) a cold drink (I even gave Sweetie some water)--before they got back on the road heading home. They were glad to have that wood --and we were glad to find someone who could use it!
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| George makes sure they can make it out of the yard! |
WELL----now we don't have anymore wood to burn in our fireplace.... Hmmmm---wonder what happens next?????
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| The side yard looks different without the woodpiles. |
By now all of you must know what we did!!!!!! BUT FIRST---I must tell you a personal story here. I must admit that life and priorities change as we get OLD... I am one person who said that she'd NEVER have a 'fake' Christmas tree in her house... BUT---now I do (and love it)... AND--I also said that I'd never go to Gas Logs in my fireplace. BUT--after last winter's horribly cold winter, we decided to make that change. I still love a wood-burning fireplace --but it was just not practical for us any longer. Some of the reasons we changed:
1. Hubby has a bad back --and last winter, all of his work chopping wood, going back and forth from the woodpile and the garage trying to keep the wood dry was just too much-- since it was SO bitterly cold and since, even after all of that work, we had a hard time staying WARM.
2. Gas Logs look much nicer now --and look like the real thing. (I had gas logs once years ago --and hated them since they looked 'fake'. Today, they look REAL.)
3. Gas Logs will keep our home cleaner --with less smoke and wood-droppings being carried in and out.
4. Gas Logs are warmer than wood-burning fireplaces ---since all of the heat comes into the room rather than going up the chimney!
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| Our new GAS LOGS |
So---we made the BIG change.... Here's a picture of the logs. It's not a great picture ---but they really do look REAL.
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| The new Gas Logs in USE on a cold day |
Unfortunately, we haven't had much cold weather here yet --so we haven't been able to use the fireplace much. BUT--so far, we LOVE it...
The neatest thing to me is that it has a REMOTE ---and that's how we turn it off and on. The remote can be set to maintain a certain temperature---and will go off and on as needed in order to keep the temperature in the house where we want it.
We can also program the remote to come on early in the morning in order to warm things up by the time we get up!!!!!! I feel very spoiled by this feature---but George will love not getting up early to make me a fire, or even to get up during the night and stoke the fire to keep it going... We are POSITIVE that we have made the right decision, especially George I'm sure!!!! Keeping the wood burning fireplace was a HUGE job ---which we truly didn't need to continue doing.
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| Beautiful look, don't you think? |
Finally, here's one more picture of our new fireplace while lit. (The reflections are from the glass doors.) You can see that there are 'embers' glowing at the bottom. Isn't it neat?????? I don't know if you are a gas-log-fireplace lover OR a 'fake' Christmas tree lover ---but this old woman knew that it was time to learn to "love" BOTH.....
NOTE (added after blog post was written): We got to use our new fireplace yesterday --since it finally got COOL outside.. AND--we've had so much rain now that I cannot complain for a long time about being dry here. We have had over 8 inches in the past 10 days... Hopefully it will be over soon (today I hope) ---and we will get some sunshine!!!!! Yeah... Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
69 comments:
Great post and I am sure you both made th right decision. I also was one of those people who would never have an artificial Christmas tree but I do now and it is lovely with no mess. I still have an open fire and keeping that. Might change when I am older! thanks for sharing. I guessed what was behind that fence!!! great job.
Betsy, I think you will enjoy your gas fireplace.. It was a smart decision.. Have a happy day!
I've seen propane tanks right out in the middle of front yards around here. Not many do that but some do. One house has theirs painted like a submarine.
I bet you are going to love this new fireplace. So much easier and who wouldn't love a remote control for their fire :)
Great choice. I'm constantly looking for ways of making my life easier. Having my own heat source for emergencies has always beeen a great comfort to me too, although you probably donn't get the severe cold we do.
That is also a very nice looking fence. I'm sure PT is happy and snug in his new home. Ha
P.S. I seem to be stuttering on some of my words. LOL Oh well, it's early. Ha
I think you made the right decision for so many reasons. How cool that is has remote control and can come on at a programed time. So much less work for George, and a cleaner home, and I think it looks pretty dang real. You are going to be warm and cozy this winter. :-)
Enjoy ~ FlowerLady
It looks great! I like the idea of being able to turn one off and on. Much more convenient!
When was younger I cut lots of wood. I had one home that was all wood heat, but lost the muscle.I like the gas, it is easier all around.
Congratulations on your new purchase/upgrade. I think you made a great decision….life is enough work, lets make it easier!!
XOXO
Betsy and George, perfectly smart decision. Those logs and embers look pretty real to me. And I can imagine that the heat is more effective. Keep close to the fireplace and stay snug and warm. Greetings. Jo
Smart decision! I love your new gas fireplace. I had one in our last house and loved it. In our present abode we have a natural fireplace and I refuse to use it as it is too much work for and old person like me and too much of a mess. Gas is nice and heats more efficiently. enjoy your new fireplace.
Good Morning. I don't usually read blogs this early,but your Facebook post had me curious. I am sure you will love the convenience of the gas fireplace. It looks lovely.I had better get ready for work,now that my curiosity is settled. Have a great day.
You will enjoy the new fireplace! Cleaner too!
Betsy - we had a woodstove in our old house. We'd get 2-3 cords of wood each year, dumped that we would stack for the following winter. When we designed this house we figured we'd continue to burn wood. But then I said, "Where will we stack the wood?" "How is the truck going to get back there to dump it?" No good answers to those questions so we went with gas fireplace. Easy decision since we had propane for stove, dryer, and most importantly the boiler heating the water for the radiant floor heating and hot water needs. Haven't regretted it in the least. Have a remote too. Fireplace puts out incredible amount of heat that we don't have it on for long. It was a good decision.
Your new fire does look lovely. You've definitely made the right decision!
Looks like a very practical decision. We've had wood stoves, but in this house we didn't put in a fireplace or stove at all. We heat with geothermal, so we never have to buy fuel. I've thought of putting in a gas fireplace like that - for times the power might go off in the winter.
I'm glad you're happy about our new gas logs. I know I'm very happy that I no longer need to split and carry wood all the time!
I'm sure you'll love having your gas fireplace. I love a wood fire, but they are kind of messy. At this point, I'd be happy with any fireplace. Our old house (1902) was built by a man who wanted to be modern, so there is no fireplace, only radiators. We used the fireplace in our old house often in the winter. That's one thing that a must on the requirements for the next house!
Betsy, That's a big propane tank for just a fireplace! You must be planning to use it a lot... We have propane for heating when it gets really cold, (a dual fuel electric/propane unit), a propane water heater, a propane grill and a propane log fireplace. Our 500 gallon tank is buried behind the house. We like the fireplace but only use it when it's really cold outside. Like yours, it's really convenient! Big Dude, aka Larry, probably came with Joe to get the wood. Joe took most of a fallen tree from the undeveloped lot next to us a couple of years ago... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Well, that's very nice and I know you will enjoy the ease. However, I was hoping for the Harley-Davidson with a side car!!
Have a great weekend.
Best,
Bonnie
You will love this fireplace. We did the same thing that you did by taking out our old fireplace in Pueblo and putting in gas. It heated the entire family room and kitchen. We loved it. Out gas fireplace here is not as effective, but it works, and I use it a lot. Enjoy those cosy evenings by a clean and efficient fire. No more log hauling just flip the switch.
I too have learned to never say never. I love my fake Christmas tree ~ and we're surrounded by balsam fir trees in our woods; but it's so nice not to have to deal with needles and the mess of a live tree. As for the wood burning ~ boy do I hear you! I wish we had a gas fireplace ... it's on my "wish list" to put one in some day. At least we have the big outdoor wood stove that heats both our house and the garage and all our hot water. All the wood mess is outside. Bonus! It's a pain ~ but pays for itself in the savings of burning gas all the time.
Practicality, generousity, and smartmess, all in one post. It's been a good day for you.
Omg. Smartness. Smartness. Argh!
I have a log burning fireplace and dearly love it. It was built where we could either way. I was raised with a wood burning stove/fireplace and still enjoy them. The only problem with mine, when I have the fireplace on, it keeps the central heat from coming on and the rest of the house is cold.
Smart choice and the fireplace looks fantastic!!
You will love your new fireplace and stay much warmer too. My Mother had an electric fireplace and she loved it. Here at my daughters ranch they have an electric too. Warms the house real nice. that's where we are------housesitting or a week. MB
Well that sounds very practical! I'm sure you will put it to good use this winter.
Oh, I do love your new fireplace!! I know you both will enjoy it so much!! Wonderful, fun photos for the day and thanks for sharing, as always!!
You will love your gas fireplace. My guess is it blows the heat into the room. One of my girlfriends had one - - with the remote, too. It kept her house VERY warm. Years ago we had a wood stove. We do NOT miss it - - - the creosote in the chimney and as you mentioned, the ashes. Plus the smoke that would get in the house sometimes when we opened the door to load it. However, at that time, it was a HUGE improvement over the wall heaters in that house. The wood stove eventually went to a gas stove - - and after we sold the house, the heating was upgraded to a central unit . . . . . . memories. You all are smart to save your backs and energy - - - energy for splitting and hauling wood as well as the energy lost out the door when you had to go outside for more logs. Praise God for the luxury! I like the way your wrote the post - - a neat little mystery story. Fun stuff.
Your new fireplace and logs are great!! We don't have a fireplace, here in Florida (though some people do). We rarely used ours in Virginia, and decided we didn't need the mess when we moved down here 25 years ago. How nice it will be for you and the new "home" for PT is lovely. Good job and blessings for a warm winter!!
my parents really love their grass logs. Dad is always cold. i think he needs some wool socks. but the silly man is always cold. even when every one else is dying of a heat stroke.
myself - we have them too. but they always give me a headache. we always crack a window .. no clue??! ( :
i know some folks paint their tanks. like a cow or something else. too creative.
Oh Betsy, it is GORGEOUS! And I am so glad you made the change! As we get older, we need to take even better care of ourselves. Also, real fireplaces are dirty and put out soot. My mother grew up with one, and the doctor told her to get away from it, it gave her very bad asthma. The propane tank is very cute and looks like a minion space ship! THANKS for sharing this with us!!! It will work when the electricity is gone?
Smart move Betsy for all the reasons you named. Ease, no liniment needed for George, and clean. I love my propane heat, especially when we lose power. I have toyed with getting a gas fireplace instead of the wall heater for power outages. They have improved 10 fold. Yours looks wonderful.
You're right, our priorities change as we get older and I think your new fireplace looks great!
The fireplace looks very cosy. We have a gas fireplace here as well and it's very convenient I so much agree with you. The evenings can be a bit chilly here, and it's so nice to just turn it on. The fence looks really nice, it's a good way to have the tank built in. Hope you'll have a nice weekend
Enjoy your new fireplace with less work. George did a good job of making a fence to keep the tank from running away. Ha!
Hello Betsy!
There are certain occasions we must save job, isn't it?! In this case, less is more!!!! I'm sure you made the best choice!
Have a nice weekend dear!
Hugs
Bia
Enjoy your new fireplace! It puts off a nice flame and you won't have to load it with wood or clean the ash out. It is a lot of work to cut firewood and then stack it. Now you'll have the time and energy to do other things :-)
Strange that you should post this today. My husband and I were just discussing getting an insert with blowers and new logs. Our current gas logs are vented and the heat goes right up the chimney. It's pretty but not warming like the unvented ones downstairs. I showed him your photographs and he is excited about getting some for us. thanks
I have learned that the old saying "never say never" is very true . As we get older things have to change I think your gas logs are really nice. We just put in a new wood stove ,hoping we have several more years before we have to go to gas but you never know.
Blessings
Marilyn
The fireplace looks nice! We had the opposite problem -- a propane fireplace with a slow leak! After spending money on getting it "fixed" a year ago, we found that the gas leaked out over the summer, not into the house this time but out into the great outdoors. It was going to cost so much to replace the propane (the tank had been almost full), plus a yearly rental fee for the tank, and since I didn't like the smell of the fireplace anyway, we had it turned off and the tank removed.
Hopefully your experience will be a whole lot better.
Sounds like a good idea. Cleaner and easier to manage. Hope you don't have any problems with it like Linda.
It is good decision. Older people need slightly larger comfort.
Beautiful autumn!
Jarka
First time hearing about gas logs! Seems very real and cool and bring comfort and warmth inside. You made neat fencing around the gas cylinder... and there is nothing wrong changing if we find something really difficult to maintain or control. Life isn't same as usual with everyone and physique is something beyond the mind power. Glad it comes with remote control just like the A/C machine. Hope you have peaceful nights with the new fireplace :)
Thanks Jarka Panci.... I am pleased that you are coming to my blog. Since I cannot find your blog (if you have one)--I am leaving this comment on here hoping that you will see it... Thanks again for visiting...
Hugs,
Betsy
Hi Betsy, Yes, being doubly covered heat-wise is a good thing in your increasingly cooler Winter there in FFG. It covers you in case of a power failure, too - a great idea. Glad you have the big tank. Ours in FFG was a buried tank but that was the way we got it when we moved in back in the day. Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy your new fireplace!
We had a gas fire in our town house and always loved it. : )
Now we heat our house with a pellet stove. Lots easier and cleaner than wood. We just bought a pallet of pellets today.
Dear Betsy, the gas fireplace really is lovely and I can understand why it's a welcome addition to your home. At a certain age we need to do those things that make life easier on our bodies. I used to go out into someone's woods and cut my Christmas tree and tie it to the roof of the car and drive it home. But about twenty years ago, I realized that I no longer had the stamina to do that by myself and so viola! a permanent tree--that is to say, artificial. Peace.
Thanks for writing about us Betsy. It shouldn't be too long before that wood gets put to use.
Good plan for all the reason. We did the same thing in our new house though I did love our Franklin Stove in the old one...:)
Sweetie is adorable!! We can all change our minds. lol I can completely understand why you switched to a gas FP. Do you cook with gas as well? Gas scares me, but I guess you can buy gas alarms? We've had one fire so far this fall. We love the weather here! I was so tired of the heat in Florida. Looking forward to meeting you someday. :)
hugs,
Marie
I like the fence he did around the propane tank. I would do the same thing.
And your new fire place - and logs are just wonderful.
I think you have made some really nice improvements on your already beautiful home!
After having real fireplaces in our last two homes, the condo came with a gas fireplace. We'd stayed in several inns and B & B's with gas logs and knew they were either wonderful or anemic!! Ours in the condo are WONDERFUL and I wouldn't go back to a real fireplace. I wouldn't admit it, but I knew the smoke bothered me and you are right, it was difficult to keep the rooms clean. So we are true converts. You will be too!
Hi Betsy and George, thanks for the sound words of wisdom at my place!
I think you did the best thing ever with the gas f/place! I know the years I spent with the dust and the constant cleaning up! Lucky you, you can just enjoy the fireplace now - stay warmer and work-free!
I have many of your recent posts to catch up on but I can imagine how fall is looking around your place and your sweet house.
Who can believe October will be over before we know it!
Hugs Betsy and keep that smile going.
x
The new gas logs look great, Betsy, and I'm sure they feel nice and warm too. George did a great job on the fence.
Your new fireplace looks warm and inviting, I know you will enjoy it all winter!
We have one of those and love it. It looks good, is so easy and feels wonderful! Hope you have lots of warm and cozy time by yours as the weather turns colder.
Betsy--sorry it took me so long to get over here! I love your new fireplace! I said the same thing, but we actually briefly lived in a house that had a gas stove like that and we loved it....there was 8 inches of snow on the ground, and I couldn't have been happier! Better for George's back, that's for sure. And I love the color green you painted that fence, too! :-) You will have a cozy winter this year, that's for sure!
I totally agree that your changes were the right way to go. We have gas but no remote programming. Our gas furnace has that.enjoy the comfort:)
Nice fire place. I would totally love to have a gas fireplace. The logs sure do look real.
A good hiding place for Mr PT.
I was wondering what was that.
wow...you have so much wood there. Nice for gardening.
I am absolutely with you, Betty. I never thought I'd have a fake tree or a "fake" fire either... and I sure do enjoy both of those things at this stage of life. ;) We are going to have to get gas logs for this house... I am going to be sure to look for the features yours has! blessings ~ tanna
Oh my gracious, Betsy, it was so great to hear from you. I've been ' MIA ' all summer, it seems. It's always such a busy time for us. Unfortunately, the two hail storms we had totally destroyed our pumpkin business this fall. We burn firewood but in our woodstove in the basement. It's always a mess, but at least a very consistent heat source. We're getting too old for this too and I've been putting the gas fireplace bug, into Bill's ear. I'd also LOVE a gas stove, but so far, he isn't budging. He said we'd burn firewood until he no longer can make it from our woods.
So it goes in our northern chill. Again, so wonderful to hear from you.
Hi to George too, and hugs to you both. You're still the cutest couple. Loveya, dar
I'm sure the day is coming when we will have to give up the logs...until then we still haul, chop, split, etc.
Linda
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We have a gas fireplace with a remote, and we really like it. Wood burning has more atmosphere, but it's a lot of work.
We have a 1000 gallon propane tank. Fortunately, we live in the country with no rules about building a fence around it. The fence would have to be pretty big!
Your cute little green fence looks nice.
We have gas fireplaces and I love the inconvenience and safety of them, Betsy! They are very warm and and look real. George did a nice job fencing off the propane tank!
I'm sure you'll be pleased you made the decision over the colder days ahead. We've got both wood burners and gas central heating in Italy and it's a lot of hard work cutting, splitting and storing logs! I'm glad we have programmed gas central heating in our small UK home. More convenient and cosy although I do like our Italian enclosed wood burners to look at and sit round with visitors.
At our age, I am all about simplicity. The new logs look great and sound very efficient. Our home in Canton used propane gas for the entire house and we loved it. It does seem extreme that the HA would make you fence in the tank, especially since it is in the backyard but George did a great job of "hiding" PT!!!!! Enjoy your new fireplace.
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