I got the aluminum sheeting down from the chimney opening after contorting myself in and on the hard hearthstones, twisting the screws with a hand screwdriver as I didn't have enough strength to hold up my wonderful cordless driver while trying to keep my head with its headlight attached focused on the dang screws! After I got the aluminum down, I worked on getting the pipes out....quite a trick to get them free of the angles of the smoke shelf. Once I saw the old stovepipes with all of their angles and elbows and rusted holes and wrecked rivets and tough screws that needed some sawing to release their holds, I realized I need an entirely new configuration of pipes to try to piece back over the smoke shelf for this winter. I am so hoping that ACE hardware will piece it all together for me, rivets, screws, and all! (For a price, of course)
THEN....I got onto the smoke shelf with my bare hands (so I could feel the stuff I needed to gather) to gather the creosote into vacuumable piles, all the while gathering creosote in my hair! I got the old shop Vac from the cellar, still smelling like creosote from about 30 years gone by, and began sucking chunks of shiny creosote into its belly. I had earplugs in as the vac was right next to me! Ahhhh....the stench of if all! After dumping the vac several times, I made a spot for me to lie on my back and manoever the wire brush up the flue. On with the helmet to cover my hair, the ski goggles to keep creosote out of my eyes, ear plugs still in place, and --------Omigawd! I can't get that brush up over the smoke shelf any more. Where is my strength???? I pushed and shoved and changed postitions and grunted and swore and was getting dizzier and dizzier, and then realized I no longer knew up from down or right from left or any direction whatsoever. My labyrinthitis kicked in full time, and I sort of panicked, realizing I was about to pass out or something. I managed to crawl out of the hearth, finally, and took the ear plugs out of my ears, which seemed to help to stabilize me quite a bit. Finally I was able to stand up and have a tantrum!
Both scared and furious, I was! Now what??? My woodstove is no longer usable, as the chimney has a grand amount of creosote in it that needs to be brushed out. Anger took over, and I stomped around putting all the crap away that I had amassed, found an old kiddie-fence to block off the chimney, added an old sleeping bag to keep out the cold, moved the woodstove back into place, minus its pipes, and resolved that I would have to spend a ton of money this winter to keep warm with just the kerosene heater. I have about 500.00 worth of firewood ready to burn-----WHERE???
After my equilibrium got better, I began to wonder where I could install another woodstove where I wouldn't have to go through the useless fireplace. Tried to call my son and my daughter...neither of whom is home. The layout of my house just doesn't seem to lend any options.
Then I remembered Ava!! I guess if she can survive heat, I can survive the cold for one more year. At least I can put on tons of clothes, but she can only take off so many.
Can you tell I am having such a wonderful day???? Hoping I can maybe get my son to come home for a weekend, I will pay for his flight from FL, just to get my woodstove so I can use it just ONE MORE DANG YEAR!
Sigh...time to have some Keystone Ice beer I bought at Price Chopper yesterday. I should have known what kind of day was about to be when I signed in to the coffee room today as SATURDAY! Here are a couple of pics I took of me today as I was having so much fun!
My chimney-cleaning outfit.
Another view of my chimneyswift line of clothing!
Goggles donned for the brush part of the event!
May your day have been funner than mine!
The teaching kids part...you had me at teacher 
