the long awaited moment has finally arrived! (almost)

we've had our wood stove installed for many months now, but until today, it's just been sitting there looking sturdy and functional. dave has been feverishly and diligently working on getting all the indoor plumbing and wiring hooked up so we can begin to heat our home, as well as our water with the stove.

here we have our very first fire in the stove. dave has lined it with fire brick.

here he is in the cellar, working on all the mechanical and electrical connections. pretty boring stuff to take a picture of, but really, really important! especially if we'd like to stay warm this winter. and according to the informal poll that i took just yesterday, my family would very much like to stay warm when it's -10 degrees.

this, dear readers, is the Magic Box. it's the heat exchanger. the water from the wood stove comes in here, is magically and secretly routed around the maze of pipes in the cellar, and then sent upstairs to work its way through the hot water baseboards. and then- WahLaa! - warmth!

here is another picture of the Mystery That Is In My Cellar. i understand how it works, but it's boring and long to type out. but- we're going to be warm and toasty, and that's what it's all about!