My Year of Fire Pit Living

How it all began. The first impromptu (hence my stylish ensemble) fire pit and sit from back in February.

What began on a whim one brisk February day, quickly became a most cherished activity that changed my year in all the best of ways.

My husband had lugged one of our chicken coops down the hill, and in its wake, left a cluster of boulders whose original purpose was to be moved elsewhere on our property. That is until I walked out of my studio one January day and saw that that cluster of boulders would make the ideal fire pit. Anyways, how much easier it would be to be able to keep them where they already lie? And that’s how our fire pit came to be.

Early spring as the snow begins to melt, but the day length is still short, a good fire pit sit, sets the mood for perfect garden dreaming of possibilities.

Situated a few feet in front of my studio, overlooking the garden and our Henry Pennies, with offerings of good glimpses of skyline for star gazing, this spur-of-the-moment creation turned into my favorite activity of the year.

In those early Spring days when the landscape still screams winter, and no plantings are yet to be done, sitting by a crackling fire feeds the soul in ways mere words can’t capture. I’ll be honest, while a big lover of a good campfire, I was taken a bit by surprise by the captivating lure and draw of the fire pit. It provided me everything I needed in that moment and every moment following.

Summer brings late evening sits accompanied by the grilled garden snacks. Favas are a favorite, shishitos rolling in next and so much more.

I needed quiet. Downtime. A creative respite. I stepped away from most of social media unintentionally. Rather than using that precious spare hour or two the day provides creating content or documenting daily life, I soaked in it. Unplugged and soaked in the simple being in Nature. And I cannot recommend it enough!!

I spent years chatting about how I built my gardening life around “stolen moments”. But after a series of non-stop life events, coupled with a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, time took on a different value. A kind of non-negotiable value. If I only have “x” amount of time, how do I want to spend it? For me, it’s sitting quietly surrounded by the magic of Nature…drinking it all in.

Autumn welcomes in glowing afternoons and heartier roasted yummies to chase away the tinge of chill.

So, I’ve spent this past year doing exactly that….drinking in my days. Soaking in the beauty, the quiet, the magic. Putting down the phone of documentation in trade for living in the moment…being an active participant rather than an observer. The quality of life this has brought me has been what I have cherished most looking at 2022.

This little fire pit has also heralded in a season of tradition to our home. While always welcoming each season with wide, open arms, I was ever-so-grateful to usher in each new season this year with a roaring fire pit celebration. Dinner slow cooked over the fire, as cocktails clanged in celebration when flocks of geese…nighthawks…crows…you name it, flew in mesmerizing formation over head.

A winter storm delivered beautiful scenery, but took out our power, So dug out the pit and cooked up some Butternut and Barley stew to warm the bones.

Tomorrow, I’m so incredibly excited to welcome the winter solstice. I’m beyond giddy to be once again on the positive swing towards longer days of light. A whole new beginning. All possibilities. All dreams waiting to come true.

We plan on celebrating by burning a Swedish fire log in our pit. A dry log is key to success, so I’ll be bravely sacrificing my log “side table” that was such a great companion over this fire pit year. My husband has already created the cuts, and now I’m pondering what goody I feel like making for dinner on top of its fury of flames. Perhaps a good, ol’ winter stew with a hunk of homemade bread…and butter….lots of butter!

No fire pit is needed if a candle is near. Another new favorite tradition celebrated throughout this year.

Without a doubt, I’ll be waxing poetic about our fire pit for many months to come. But let it be known, a good candle can have the very same effect on the ol’ soul. I’ll post soon about my other obsession over this past year…candles. There’s a whole trick to keeping them flicking for quality amount of time. I’ll ramble on about that later this week.

Until then, let’s bid adieu to Autumn and open our arms to welcome winter!