About Big Canoe's Big Canoe

This morning we awoke to sun and warmer temperatures. I took these photos from my porch as I actually could walk out on it without slipping and sliding. I am reminded of the story of Frosty the Snow Man. Everything is really pretty . But all is melting and may be gone around lunch time or later this afternoon.

While it is sad that this beauty will go away it is also good. One of the things about the North Georgia Mountains is that you have 4 seasons. It does get cold and snowy but it is all manageable for the most part. Enjoy

I guess I could have gotten up earlier for the sunrise on this but as it is this is really pretty.

We had the wood burning stove going great and I was out splitting wood yesterday !!!

If you are looking for the mountains the North Georgia Mountains are a great place to live .

As many of you know I do volunteer fire work. Last night we got a call out for a fire. I have posted safety tips in the past. I only post tips when a situation is odd and is something you could do with out thinking. Last night was one of those times.

OK you have a great roaring fire going in the fireplace. This is one of the joys of mountain living. Maybe you have a take out dinner with some wine and decide to throw the bag, paper, the dinner came in on the fire. So far so good. But here what happened. The fire was hot so the heat pushed the bag up the chimney and the burning bag was trapped at the chimney top. The chimney looked like it was on fire and the bag blocked the exit for the smoke so smoke poured into the home , again making the home owner think there was a fire. In the end we all arrived and made sure no embers went into the woods or caught the roof on fire.The home was fine.

So today's tip is if you have a roaring fire remember heat rises and when you add to a fire make sure what you add will not scoot up your chimney potentially causing a chimney or roof fire, as well as blocking the path for smoke to exit.

The Mountain Real Estate report is heard every Thursday on Wyyz Radio. In this weeks report we cover some of the sweeping changes that effect loans. These new regulations will impact all. While we hit some of the highlights of the changes in this report it is advised that you talk to your local boards or your real estate professional for additional information. Enjoy

The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday through out the North Georgia Mountains. This weeks show focuses on preventing or dealing with foreclosure situations. We also have some great property to sell. We talk about the market in General and try to put some of the numbers that are coming out in perspective. Enjoy the show.

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about the coming winter and what you should do to be safe from a fire perspective. Since that post I have been out on 2 calls and listened to a third one. So I think since they all had the same cause it is time to update the blog.

You are in your mountain home in the winter. You have a great fire going. It is time to go to bed . What do you do? You could time your logs so you have them burn down. So far so good. But then you have the hot ashes. Some folks have decided to take them outside and dump them. Cold does not mean fire proof. . So with leaves etc I have been on two calls in the cold at night because of this. Your fire place is made to keep the ashes. Make sure you have good screens. Also if you are in the mountains for a weekend and figure you will dump the ashes outside next day don't. Those ashes set one of the 2 fires I have been to.

The third fire was also ashes dumped outside . This time there was snow on the ground. But unfortunately the ashes were dumped too close to the house. This was during our snow storm and many of us could not get to the scene and the fire department trucks almost slid off the road. So many were put in danger. In the end the home owner got it under control with some siding damage.

The point here is folks your fire place is the place for your fire. Just because it is cold does not mean you can dump ashes and not start a fire. Please be especially careful in this cold weather with your hearths and their ashes.