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Garden Diary - January 2025


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Fire Lighters
in January 2025


It was my daughter who shared how to make fire lighters with me. She had learned in girl scouts. What's needed? A pulp egg carton, usually made from a mixture of recycled paper, water and - sometimes - grass fibers. Definitely not foam or plastic egg cartons! The girl scouts filled the compartments with dryer lint, then some melted candle wax. Here's what I do.



An egg carton, a bag of wood shavings, an old pillar candle chopped in pieces,
old candle wicks, and a can with one side squeezed to form a pouring spout.


Fill the egg carton with wood shavings, then rap on counter to settle shavings.


Melt the old candles in the tin can, set in a pot of water. Do Not try
to melt wax over direct heat. It can catch on fire - not a good thing.


Slowly pour wax over wood shavings to somewhat coat shavings. Then before it
cools and sets up, push a short length of old candle wick into the wax+shavings.


Then, when making a fire (every morning in cold weather, as the fire in the wood burning stove
will have gone out overnight) all that's necessary are a couple of pieces of wood with lighter
set between them. Light it with a match and then place some kindling such as thin wood over it.


Less than a minute and the kindling has caught. Now it is time to add some small wood


and in about two minutes I have a nice fire going well. What an efficient fire lighter!

Thank you, dear daughter and her long ago girl scout troop.


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