by Jenny Barnett

There’s a moment in late October when the chill finally lingers.

You step in from doing chores or picking the last of the garden, and you realize the cold has settled in your bones. That’s when it’s time.
Time to strike the match and light the first fire of the season.

Tending that first fire isn’t just about heat.
It’s a ritual—quiet, grounded, ancestral.
It marks the start of the deep season, where home becomes the place you draw toward, not just pass through.

1. The First Flame: A Homestead Rite of Passage

The first lighting of the hearth is always slow and deliberate around here.

We:

• Sweep out the firebox with care, giving thanks for last season’s warmth
• Crack a window slightly for draft, then build a base of dry pinecones and kindling
• Stack the logs in a criss-cross, like grandpa taught us: not too tight
• And then we light the match with no rush. Just breath and a slow inhale of that first curl of woodsmoke

There’s something sacred in the silence that follows.

2. Wood, Stacked with Intention

Wood deserves to be honored, too. Each log carried, split, and stacked carries effort, yours or someone else’s.

Tips for stacking:

• Store your firewood off the ground and covered on top, with airflow on the sides
• Keep kindling and dry pinecones in a separate basket by the stove
• Make space near your hearth for tools that don’t just work, they look the part too
  ➤ Old West Iron’s fireplace tools & accessories are what we use; hand-forged, heirloom-worthy, and designed to last through generations of winters

Tip: Use a wrought iron hoop wood holder to keep your living room tidy and rustic.

3. After the Fire: Skin and Leather Need Love Too

The cozy glow has its costs, dry air, cracked lips, thirsty hands, and scorched boots.

Here’s what we keep by the door:

• A tin of grass-fed tallow balm for hands, lips, cheekbones, anywhere winter bites
• Smith’s Leather Balm to rub into well-worn boots and gloves after a day near the stove
• A cast iron kettle on the stovetop for humidity and herbal simmer pots (bonus: it smells like cinnamon and pine needles)

4. Fire is Heat But Also Heart

A fire lit with care turns a house into a home.
It’s the place stories are told, tea is sipped, socks are mended, and babies are rocked.
It’s where you thaw after doing chores in the snow, or dry your sleeves after hauling wood.

And it all starts with one small spark.

So light the first fire.
Let it flicker and crackle and settle into the stone.
And with it, settle yourself, into the stillness, the season, and the soul of winter.

— Jenny