Random thoughts . . .
Backwoods Savage (aka Dennis) really looks out for a lot of us . . . he's definitely one of the good guys in this world . . . he just doesn't wear a white hat.
Wind . . . no worries . . . sometimes if the wind is really howling I might see a bit of change in the fire . . . but you shouldn't see the fire go out, rage out of control or start blowing smoke into the house or anything like that.
Seasoned wood . . . sounds like the folks you have talked to have some ideas about seasoned wood which is good . . . just be aware that just hearing the pinging noise (most folks describe the noise almost like the sound of a baseball bat coming in contact with another bat -- wooden that is, not aluminum), cracks, etc. are not always a tell-all gauge . . . then again neither is seasoning wood for a year . . . there are variables . . . the only true way to tell if the wood is seasoned is with a moisture meter . . . but barring that purchase going with a year seasoned, cracks, the sound the wood makes, etc. can provide you with some rough guidelines.
Backwoods Savage (aka Dennis) really looks out for a lot of us . . . he's definitely one of the good guys in this world . . . he just doesn't wear a white hat.
Wind . . . no worries . . . sometimes if the wind is really howling I might see a bit of change in the fire . . . but you shouldn't see the fire go out, rage out of control or start blowing smoke into the house or anything like that.
Seasoned wood . . . sounds like the folks you have talked to have some ideas about seasoned wood which is good . . . just be aware that just hearing the pinging noise (most folks describe the noise almost like the sound of a baseball bat coming in contact with another bat -- wooden that is, not aluminum), cracks, etc. are not always a tell-all gauge . . . then again neither is seasoning wood for a year . . . there are variables . . . the only true way to tell if the wood is seasoned is with a moisture meter . . . but barring that purchase going with a year seasoned, cracks, the sound the wood makes, etc. can provide you with some rough guidelines.