Fireplace and Flannel
Everyone indulges in a bit of nostalgia every now and then. Usually, it is triggered by food, smell, sound, or activity. For my husband, it is our fireplace and for me it is flannel.
When we built our home my husband insisted we have a wood-burning fireplace. I saw it as highly impractical. We live in Florida, so why not just have a decorative, electric fireplace? We were certainly not going to need it to heat the house. My practical arguments did not sway him, even though it cost a bit more, he insisted his home would have a wood-burning fireplace. So we have a wood-burning fireplace.
What I didn’t get at the time is how that fireplace connected him to wonderful childhood memories. Going up in New York the home he lived in had a fireplace that was replaced with a wood-burning stove. His family used it to warm the home. His home was filled with siblings and love and for some reason, the wood-burning stove came to symbolize this. I didn’t realize it at the time, I just wanted to save money and have something that was more practical.
I realize now that I too have things that evoke special memories and one of those things is my love for flannel shirts when it gets cold. Now I do live in Florida, so what I consider cold may be considered a pleasantly cool morning anywhere else. However the minute the temperature dips below 60 I want to search out my flannel…
