The old kitchen cookstove is a wonderful thing. And though I have written about it before, I think it deserves to be recognized one more time. This old cabin was built in 1938, and I suspect that the fancy wood-burner in the kitchen is the original.
I fear it is standing on its last legs. The wood box, grates, and solid iron top are still in great shape, but the holes inside the oven are too big to patch. It just won't make it though another winter.
That's not to say that I haven't been able to use the oven. It still gets hot enough to make muffins and pies. The problem is the smoke. With a half dozen holes in and around the oven, the stovepipe just doesn't draw as well as it should. Most mornings start with a smoky haze in the kitchen, until everything warms up.
Without a good draw, the fire just doesn't catch as fast as it should. Sometimes it doesn't catch at all. Then smouldering logs have to be taken out and the fires started again with kindling.
This leads to a smoky cabin. Since I am not too keen on breathing all that smoke for all of next winter, something has to be done about that stove. I'll hate to see it go.
It is a nice-looking stove. Six cast iron legs hold it a foot above the floor. The cats love to curl up under it on a cool autumn day. A simple white enameled backboard reflects the heat from the back of the stove.
A single white enameled shelf above warms and dries my mitts in winter. There is a water well on the right side that I’ve never used. It is a good place to store the soup pots.
I've known for a long time that the old cookstove would have to be replaced. I've kind of been looking around for another one to take its place. New cookstoves with their (1987) $2,000 price tag are out of the question. And I've yet to see a used cookstove that is as beautiful as this one.
Maybe, just maybe there is a chance for the old stove to be saved. After all, it is only the oven that has rusted out. I've heard that it is possible to have these things replaced. But sadly, not by me.
Update to 2011: This beautiful old cookstove has been carefully stored for the past 23 years.
Now it's time to clear out the shed, so it is looking for a new home. Late winter is the best time to transport the stove from the shed across the lake and into someone's truck.
Do you know anyone who might be interested? I will be asking for a little money to close this transaction, if only to ensure that whoever buys it will indeed make the effort to bring it back to life. E-mail [email protected].
Viki Mather has been writing for Northern Life since the spring of 1984. During 2011, she takes us back to some of those older writings as she prepares to publish a book of “In the Bush.” This one was originally published in the autumn of 1987.
