My wife, Judy, has been watching all sorts of lost-in-the-wilderness "reality" shows on TV and now she wants to practice some of her newly acquired survival skills.

For example, she wanted to make a fire from scratch, you know, without matches and flammable substances. But she also wanted me to demonstrate the finer points of fire-making.

It's not that I'm a firebug, by the way. It's because I was a Boy Scout.

So with the help of my trusty and decades-old "Boy Scout Manual," I demonstrated how to ignite dry leaves with a magnifying glass and how to ignite wood shavings with flint and steel.

Even so, Judy still hasn't quite got the hang of starting a fire from scratch. Yet now, at least, she has a greater appreciation for the task and for Prometheus, the provider of the first fire.

According to Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan, one of 12 primordial deities, who were ultimately defeated by Zeus, king of the Greek deities, during a power struggle.

Prometheus' claim to fame was that after he created the first people from mud, he gave them some fire that he stole from his high-and-mighty peers.

Legend has it, though, that Zeus punished Prometheus for pilfering the fire by chaining him to a mountain. There, poor Prometheus was perpetually preyed upon by a giant eagle, until he was eventually rescued by Hercules.

Woodpile basics

Since using fire is very empowering, Zeus lost a tremendous amount of power over his human subjects when Prometheus stole his prized possession.

But fire, of course, has other values, too, like the cozy and comforting ambiance it can create.

I find that simply watching flames flickering in a fireplace is incredibly relaxing. Which reminds me: If you're thinking about firing up your fireplace -- for fun or emergency heat -- is your firewood up to snuff?

Our firewood supply is in good shape. In fact, there's enough dry, seasoned (year-old) wood to last days in the event of an emergency. The wood is stacked on vinyl platforms to discourage fungi and insects including termites, roaches, spiders and millipedes, which all thrive on damp wood.

Our woodpile is also perpetual. In other words, as the oldest wood is burned, it's replaced with newly-cut wood, because each time I prune a large branch or fell a tree, pieces greater than 2 inches in diameter are added to the woodpile. What's left over is chipped, shredded and turned into mulch.

Incidentally, Judy succeeded in starting a fire in our fireplace (with matches). After she opened the damper and cleared the previously smoke-filled room.

This week in the garden

Don't forget to periodically check your stored produce for spoiled items. It only takes one rotten apple to ruin an entire barrel.

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