I know I'm a bit early, but wanted to make sure I wished you all a happy turkey day since I'll be away until Monday without net access. I'm going home to teach those canucks how to bake a decent turkey ;)(Going back to spend thanksgiving at that new y2k retreat ;))

BTW, the fireplace insert we bought was installed today. It's a Vermont Casting "Winter Warm". It's super! I've got it going since the men left and it's toasty in the whole house. Great buy, Y2K or not :) It's beautiful, and has a unique ash cleaning system that makes it a snap to clean (removable ash pan with cover.)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 23, 1998

Answers

Bye, Chris! Stay warm, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!!!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 23, 1998.

Chris, Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Make it a thankful one. :-) Blondie

-- Blondie Marie (Blondie@future.net), November 24, 1998.

Chris - whatever you do - don't tell the "men" its easy to clean.

Be nice and let them think its "macho" to have to grunt and strain to clean the ashes. They'll feel better when you convice them they have to do it. 8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 24, 1998.

Chris, I'm taking a break from writing a contract for (hopefully!) our new place and would be very interested in your source for the insert, especially one that is so easy to clean. (how difficult was it to install?) Hope you have a great thanksgiving and safe travel. Thank you. Diana

-- Diana (count397@day.com), November 29, 1998.

Hi all, I'm back and had a wonderful thanksgiving :) Hope yours was too.

Robert, the deal with me is: If you want a thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings, you do dishes and clean up the kitchen afterwards. And they did (brothers and husband) a nice job ;) Makes for great "male bonding" too ;)

Diana, the URL for Vermont Casting Co. is http://www.vermontcastings.com

They make the best cast iron inserts and stoves, IMO. I researched several brands, in stores.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 30, 1998.

Diana, the insert was installed by men contracted by the store where I bought it. It cost $265 for the installation, and it took them under 3 hours. If your husband is handy he could probably do it himself, the insert comes with complete and detailed instructions, as well as diagrams. It might take him much longer though, the 2 men that installed it know the insert well and install a lot of them.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 30, 1998.

Oh Chris - thought you'd like to know -

Turkey isn't "cooking" - only requires 1 turkey, (removing internals doesn't add ingredients of course), onions and celery stuffed in middle - and they get removed later too! - 1 pan, and the foil cover. Leave in oven for 4+ hours, remove, cut, serve. So Thanksgiving turket is easier than instant coffee. Takes longer though.

So I do the bird every year. But Veronica does the rest of the feast - doesn't let me touch anything else for some strange reason. never have figured that out.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 30, 1998.

WELCOME BACK, CHRIS!!!!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 30, 1998.

I wanted to let this thread die, but it's eating at me not to respond to such a warm welcome back from Gayla. Don't want anyone to think I'm an ungrateful snob or sumfin'. I feel fuzzies all over, thanks Gayla ;)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), December 01, 1998.