Fresh fallen firewood

Aged maple logs making for a great fire

It was 20 degrees outside when I built a fire this morning... but it wasn't long before a smoky smell started becoming noticeable.

As expected, some of the wood we cut and split earlier this year hasn't seasoned enough to reduce its smoky smell when burned.

On the bright side, the recent wind storm on the mountain felled the top of an long dead tree, likely a maple.  So I grabbed the chainsaw and made short work of cutting the downed tree top into 18-inch lengths.

The old tree's burning just right. Being a (suspected) maple, it seems to burn hotter than than smoky oak I started with. Yet at the same time, it's putting out less flames, and takes its time as it burns.

Guess I should consider taking the rest that old tree down when it warms up a bit early next week. Gotta buy some time waiting for some of the other stuff to season a bit.