We're STOKED!

Oh woo oh ho, oh woo oh ho

Tell me can you feel it? Tell me can you feel it?

Tell me can you feel it?

The heat is on, the heat is on

The heat is on, it warms our feet

The heat is on!

Our anthracite heater

Today, Kevin Borror (from MAF) made a surprise visit and started up our heater for the winter season. The homes here are cinder block, and when it gets cold, it becomes an ice block! The anthracite stove is our source of heat this winter, and we are very grateful to Kevin for getting this puppy started (which is no small feat)! 

Here is how it works: you initially start the stove with charcoal and a fire starter. When that gets very hot, you begin to throw in small amounts of anthracite, a very hard coal that burns without a flame. Once the charcoal and small amounts of anthracite are blazing orange, you fill the hopper with a bucketful of anthracite which should heat the stove for 8 to 10 hours. We need to stoke the coal a few times a day, clean out the tray of ash that falls to the bottom, and fill the hopper at least twice a day to keep the stove running continually. While it gets very warm (a little too warm) in the daytime, it makes for a cozy room at night. 

Oh, yes, it is VERY DIRTY! Notice our little helper :-)

Helping fill a container with anthracite