When I moved in here one of the first things I did was install a fireplace - because my feeling is that a house without a fireplace is not a home.

I got this big cylindrical steel thing that was being remaindered by Sears because conical ones were "in". The triple wall stainless steel chimney cost me a whole of a lot more than the fireplace.

I lined it with rocks and concrete, and I built a platform for it and layered the top with reinforced concrete covered with ceramic tile. Fortunately the platform was movable because I later moved it from one wall to another.

Early on I was concerned about where I could get enough wood. Little did I know that this tiny suburban patch of land with 4 blue gums could produce more burnables than I really wanted to deal with.

Every morning I light a candle on the breakfast table and then a ritual fire in the fireplace (always with the same match). If I don't have corrigated boxes from Tech Data and another distributors or put in a Trader Joe's grocery bag full of eucalyptus debris.

I'm not buying so much hardware any more so I'm starting to gain, but this energy resource is still far from depleted - the debris is still almost a foot thick in some areas. I've got stacks of branches cut to 18" and more waiting to be cut.

And about once a year a giant red or lime green fire wagon pulls up out front and deploys a batalion of yellow clad and helmeted fire persons with axes who want to inspect my fireplace because some condo dwelling nincompoop smelled smoke.

Oh well, they need the exercise. Firepersons at the La Crescenta station are notorious for passing up promotions for fear they'll be transfered to some place where they'll actually have to go out and fight fires. It's like being in the Coast Guard and stationed at Newport Beach.