I hate it when we're dismissed by salespeople because we don't fit their stereotype of who they think their customer is.

Only comment I have though is I've used induction since 2010 and love it.

I should probably check out induction. I got as far as learning my cast iron would work with it, and then I got distracted. (Imagine that!)

Actually, he wasn't dismissive at all; he's been very nice. I think he's sincerely concerned for my finances. Maybe he's sincerely concerned for everyone's finances. Or, again, it could be my age. I don't think of myself as looking vulnerable, but I probably do. Scoliosis hasn't helped.

I got a gas cooktop for my new kitchen, and I was unable to find one that had the long oval burner in the middle, as I loved the one on my last stove and used it frequently. That stove came with a fitted grill for the center burner, and I could easily cook three pancakes on it at one time, and so I made pancakes more often when I had it.

The Bertazzoni range I had in L.A. only had four burners, but the burner at the front left had two burners with separate controls, which I liked a lot. However, it was difficult to put a long griddle on this range, as the two burners on the right side were different sizes, and the middle of the griddle never got to the same temperature as the portions where the burners were.

I bought electric double wall ovens for my new kitchen, and I like them a lot, but they were very expensive. They have a "proof" setting at 100° that I find very helpful.

Prices are likely to be lower at one of the larger stores, those of the Home Depot type.

I avoid local stores like what you mentioned, they seem to be manned by sleazy types. An exception, there's a major, locally owned upscale appliance store in my area that is very large and is known for its high standards and customer service. They carry everything, its salesmen are knowledgable and the opposite of pushy. As for how they treat people, my wife raves about them. Maybe people who often aren't treated as they expect in many places are in turn not acting as the store people expect customers to act.

I dislike the "big box store" monker, it's used as if it were an agreed-to pejorative. Broadly speaking, I think one is more likely to get better service and better prices from larger stores. "Locally owned" places that are in business against larger competitors don't in and of themselves represent anything resembling an endangered species that deserve special protection or consideration, as far as I'm concerned.

PS alisande - opinions are pretty consistent that the exhaust chemicals produced by gas combustion (like a gas range or oven) are unsafe to breathe and are best avoided. And can accumulate in a house without adequate fresh air. In getting a new range, consider a new exhaust hood large enough to reach over the front of the range. And use it!.

A by-product of doing so (which we do consistently) is that all the delicious, smelly things we all like to cook won't remain as stale air in your house for hours afterwards.

When we bought new appliances in 2019, we caught a sale weekend, and the local store was more than 10% less than HD or Lowes for the exact same appliances. And HD and Lowes both had so-called sales that weekend, too. Plus we got free delivery, installation didn't come into the equation because the contractor handled that. Admittedly, the local store is pretty large. We had an older salesman, maybe late 50s, and didn't get a pitch for extended warranties or other garbage.

As you live in an old house and have a gas range in place, switching to an induction range could involve costly electrical wiring upgrade work to accommodate it. You need a 220 watt circuit to handle it and it's unlikely that's in place. Easy enough to check.

Nicole

Elmer makes a good point, you probably don't have 220. Is your oven electric?

For my rentals, I want something nice, but something that is good quality. GE Monogram has been my go-to. I own one glass top induction, it's oven is self cleaning, ALL electric. I was just at the Habitat Restore. They had a commercial grade GE with 6 gas burners AND a griddle in the middle. IT Was HUGE. You'd have to remodel your kitchen to accomodate that...but...I have purchased appliances from them before at GREATLY reduced prices. My point...if they had a used red Bertazzoni for $500 I'd get IT! You may have a little time on your hands and want to look around a bit....?

This is a nice range....Link

PS.....Salesmen can be awful to deal with. Sorry your running into some gems. I just had a go-around with an insurance salesman. He wanted me to spend $450 more now...so I could AFFORD to put in a roof claim. ?? My metal, stone coated roof looks brand new. He said I couldn't afford to pay the $50k deductible. 😉

Not having to clean gas burners alone is enough to stick with induction. Being able to use the surface as more counter space since only the burner itself heats up with the pot is another plus. But being able to boil water so quickly and have instant control over it like a gas flame, plus being able to turn it down so low as to melt chocolate without a double boiler or keep cream sauces warm without boiling is more than enough to make the switch...let alone any fumes as elmer mentioned, plus the energy efficiency. All upsides. The only downside I've found is that, without the open flame, you can't char things like peppers, and making pan gravy can only be done if the roasting pan is induction compatible which it most likely is not.

A buddy has a gas range and yet he says he mainly uses just the single induction burner he bought. I think he'd choose differently for next time.

As far as I've seen and heard, there has not been a stampede of people chucking their existing gas ranges and countertop hobs to replace them with induction units. No one I know has done that, perhaps because of the high cost of rewiring, higher costs of operation, and the often more expensive equipment are the reasons? Or, the unfamiliarity?

Gas is far and away the most common heat source for cooking in my area, electric units are rare but for cheaper construction residences like apartment complexes. Or, more remote locations where natural gas isn't available. I've also heard that professional chefs overwhelmingly prefer gas cooking - the opinions of pros carry weight with me.

The city of Berkeley tried to ban gas cooking appliances and the last I heard of that, a restaurant industry group took them to court and prevailed, winning an injunction or something similar to prevent the city from enforcing the new code.

New construction of a custom house may be a different story but the quasi-pro large gas ranges and hobs seem to be the popular fashion statement for upscale kitchens.

“I've also heard that professional chefs overwhelmingly prefer gas cooking - the opinions of pros carry weight with me.”

I can think of several reasons professional kitchens would be hesitant to switch to induction, which don’t necessarily translate to the home kitchen. It’s only natural that chefs have an affinity for what they use professionally. I’ve noticed high levels of apprehension and low levels of regret over the years, from those who converted. Most that I’ve observed who convert are not only happy, but become convertees. Yes there are some objective reasons to prefer gas which will vary between individuals. But most who I’ve seen not liking induction are those whose experiences are limited to anemic 120V countertop models.

(Speaking of voltage, I know you meant 220V not 220W but I wouldn’t want anyone to repeat the error.)

Cost is an issue. The 6/3 wire itself isn’t a major factor, but if it requires a service change, if running it is problematic, etc. things can add up. Add new cookware…

Anyway I should note that I have neither experience with induction not immediate plans to convert, again these are just observations.

It depends on local costs and availability of fuels....electricity vs. nat gas vs. LP... but induction puts 90% of the energy to the food vs. 40% for gas. According to CR, induction can be 3x more efficient than gas. And as elmer mentioned, indoor air quality is better. I've cooked on traditional electric, gas and induction and my preference is definitely for induction. I also have a separate plug-in induction burner which we use when we lose power and are on generator, or when we have an indoor/outdoor party and want to keep food warm.

See for pros and cons:

https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/ranges/pros-and-cons-of-induction-cooktops-and-ranges-a5854942923/

I think that one consideration when buying a new range is that the ovens on them are so huge! What a waste of energy to heat up such humungous ovens for some little thing like a frozen pizza or a sheet of cookies, or to roast a head of garlic. Even my small oven on my double oven range is a bit too big.

I think that the concept and design of our burners and ovens is due for a rethink and due for some changes.

I just switched to a glass top electric range from a gas one . My reasons were multi fold and it would not have been my very first choice, but I had reasons to make the change the way that I did. I much prefer to cook with gas, but there were complicating factors.

I wanted to continue to use my cast iron cookware that I have been using for decades, and, of course I can on the electric one, but the danger of dropping a heavy lid or skillet on the glass is real. And the bottoms of my cast iron are not as smooth and clean as they could be.

I found that I put aside much of my trusty cast iron and have started with some stainless steel.

Both the steel skillets and the glass top electric are new experiences for me . I am learning how to use and care for stainless steel. It is lighter and I think it does better on the electric than it did on the gas.

Our kitchen appliances need a serious retool and rethink and revision . I am surprised to come to the conclusion that some of these small countertop appliances do a good job. I think that we need smaller and more efficient ovens and burners and grills and broilers and such that do a good job, are built well.... a marriage of small appliances but with better quality such as you would look for in a durable item such as a range.

I would not just go for an oven as an air fryer. A good convection, but to make an oven behave like a smaller air fryer I think is just inviting disappointment.

I would .not want my oven to be remotely controlled or do tricks. I would just like to have good function and solid quality. All these features that they are loading up appliances with are just nonsense. I want a washer or an oven that I can set the variables, not have a preset bunch of nonsense. No bells or whistles, just good quality and of a size that makes sense.

None of the things that I have had to replace have been as good as the old one. They throw in more questionable features of dubious value, but cheaper quality.

The only thing I would caution you about is the insulation on the stove. When we moved in, the previous owner had a range that must have had very little, and when the oven was on, the outside of it was so hot that someone could have gotten burned. Especially a small child. We replaced it. I think the problem was that the old range was not self-cleaning, so it didn't have enough insulation.

I'd be looking at induction if I needed (not just wanted) to replace my electric cooktop.

Funny, when we built I had both electric ad gas brought to the kitchen. Twenty years ago I figured that a 'real cook' would want gas one day -- never expecting induction to come along and be superior.

I replaced electric with gas about 6 years ago and will never go back. Whirlpool makes Amana, Maytag, Kitchenaid and Jennair. They all use most of the same internal parts just like a GM vehicle uses many of the same parts across all their lines. Between the 5 brands it's only a matter of style and up grades. You don't need a $2K range to do the same thing as a cheaper stove but it's your money so don't let this salesperson bother you, and If the price at the store was $1699 its a whole lot cheaper selling for $1099 at other stores. Oh oh, it's not closer to $2K now so what are you going to do? BUY IT!

When I see 4.4 stars out of 5 with 1271 reviews on home depot's website I say buy it. People with problems are more likely to post a review than those with no problems with the stove so IMO I wouldn't worry about them. People will post a one star review for delivery being late, or other frivolous reasons so I think the overall review numbers are good. Most kitchen appliances have a 10% to 15% rate of problems in the first year so odds are in your favor you'll get a good one.

I'm not going to read the manual but most stove burners can be adjusted to reduce burner settings. AI said the stove you picked does but ask the sales person and if so it will be in the manual how to do it. Mines does. Home depot has it on sale $1099 so get the range, it's a nice looking stove and you'll love the 18K btu burner. If the salesperson is being a jerk don't let him get in your way of getting the stove you want.

I will warn you NOT to use the self cleaning feature on this or any stove, the high heat is a killer to stove components. I bought a range 6 yrs ago with bad reviews before I bought it, and after analyzing the reviews I determined all it's problems were from the self cleaning feature. High heat would weaken the plastic nobs and break or the heat would take out the control board mounted right above the stove vent. (who does this!) So I bought it because the price was right and I liked the stove and haven't had a problem yet or used the self cleaning.

" but induction puts 90% of the energy to the food vs. 40% for gas. "

How is this relevant?

On the stovetop, many people of all origins use woks these days. Would I be able to use my rounded bottom carbon steel wok on an induction oven?

I'll tell you this from my own experience as I have both a gas and an electric oven in the kitchen. The electric oven is fine and has some minor advantages - for one, it heats up more quickly than the gas one does. But it's also about 50% smaller. If the item in the oven is covered, then both perform in about the same way. For baking and other things uncovered, including meat, the gas oven is noticeably superior. Water vapor is a byproduct of gas combustion so that the oven chamber has more humidity than the electric one. Items are less likely to dry out- humidity is a factor used in commercial ovens producing baked products.

Also, the gas oven vents at the back of the range and so odors and combustion by-products are removed by the always-used exhaust hood. Not all baking odors are pleasant. When cooking fish or other such things, the odors of which we don't want to linger in the house, we always use the gas oven. When making other things the odors of which are pleasant (like turkey or chicken), we use the electric oven.

The gas oven, even though it's much larger, seems less expensive to use. The least expensive cost tier for electricity where I live is 40 cents per kwh. We also have had gas clothes dryers for decades (in various houses) and the cost savings from using it versus electricity is substantial. Same function as with cooking, producing heat.

" And as elmer mentioned, indoor air quality is better. "

Do you always use the exhaust fan when using the cooktop? If not, your concern about air quality isn't consistent.

Also, I think you've said in the past that you burn wood for heat. What does that do for your indoor and outdoor air quality and the indoor and outdoor air quality of your neighbors?

The exhaust products of wood fires are dangerous. In my area, there are "Spare The Air" days when climate conditions are unfavorable for the smoke to clear and wood burning is banned. They're not rare, there can be 50 or more in a year. Also, in the Bay Area, for new construction, wood burning appliances and chimneys are prohibited. Thankfully, they haven't banned charcoal BBQs but that could happen.

" Speaking of voltage, I know you meant 220V not 220W but I wouldn’t want anyone to repeat the error "

Yes, of course. Thanks for pointing that out. Also, for better accuracy, I think most delivered electricity is 120 so that the higher voltage, lines from two different phases, is more normally 240V. I think they're sometimes described as 110-120 and 220-240

Annie, not to beat a dead horse, but the Consumers Reports piece that you linked to reminded me why I cancelled my subscription to the magazine many years ago.

At one time, Consumers Reports conducted itself as an independent organization that tried to assess products and services without predisposition. That's long out the window. An obvious partisan standpoint is now behind much of what it says and does. It doesn't matter to me what the partisan bias is, it clearly has led to a one-sidedness of analysis and reporting which removes its credibility to me. It's like listening to Sean Hannity if wanting to learn a balanced assessment of something. Nope, wrong place to go in both cases.

This article was no exception. It's clear the author had a point of view at the beginning. At one time, a "compare and contrast" piece would do just that. This article says little about gas or conventional electric appliances. An example of having no interest in presenting a balanced assessment.

Elmer, I do heat with wood. But I don't believe I made any mention of air quality. The downside of using a woodstove includes the mess from wood debris and possiblity ashes, as well as the potential for smoke. I have a good Jotul stove that draws well, and I know how to build a fire and keep it going. Those things help, and smoke doesn't get out very often. I rather enjoyed your question about the impact of my wood smoke on the indoor and outdoor air quality of my neighbors because my only visible neighbor is my son, who keeps me supplied with firewood. He and his family heat with wood too.

Kevin, the price of the range at the store is $1,068, a little less than Home Depot, etc. I'm aware that complaints are likely to motivate people to leave reviews, but when so many are complaining about the same issues, that gets my attention.

I don't know what I have to do to redeem my poor salesman! He's a nice guy, doing his best. The fact that he's overly concerned about my finances doesn't make him a jerk. Maybe the owner told him I was a widow. Or maybe the word is out that I'm frugal. This is true, but it makes me good at saving for things that I like.

None of the ranges I looked at recently offered the high-temp self-cleaning feature that used to be ubiquitous. Now they have a steam-clean process (I forget the name) that uses 200º in the oven and loosens drips, etc., so we can (hopefully) wipe them away. In 23 years I used my present GE range's high-temp self-cleaning only once. Never again, as the smell was so harsh it seemed toxic.

alisande, my wood burning comment was in response to annie.

But as it applies to you and as I've come to think of you as a thoughtful person, remember that it's an accepted fact by the experts that burning wood contributes to global warming. The particulates in wood smoke are dangerous to living things and can contribution to respiratory problems. The smoke from your fire will drift away from your house and produce less helpful air for others far and wide. That's not okay in my book, is it in your's?

Gosh elmer, even when I'm trying to agree with you, you can't help yourself but dump on me. Look. I'm in a lot of pain right now and I don't need the abuse. Can't you control yourself even for a little while? I guess not.

I'm done. I've said my piece on induction cooktops, why I like them and posted some data on the benefits of them. Believe it or not. Like it or not. Buy it or not. I don't give a flying leap.

Over and out.

"Alisande: Now they have a steam-clean process (I forget the name) that uses 200º in the oven and loosens drips, etc., so we can (hopefully) wipe them away."

Don't be fooled. The steam-clean (AquaLift, etc.) process isn't equivalent to pyrolytic (high-heat) self-clean AT ALL. It's intended to be run after every baking/broiling operation that generates any degree of soiling, and entails manual scrubbing/wiping. There's a LONG thread in the Appliances forum discussing much dissatisfaction.

I've used self-clean several times on my circa 2003/2004 GE range. No failures have occurred and it looks like new after cleaning.

annie, I clearly don't share your views on the topic and I explained why. Disagreeing isn't dumping. Personal opinions aren't necessarily universally shared - if you have belief in your own views, hearing someone who disagrees should cause you to open your eyes sometimes to consider that different opinion but not hardly to think of it as abuse. That's more for people insecure with their own views.

I'm sorry to hear you're in pain. I hope you've been able to get appropriate medical care for whatever your malady is.

"Weighing in on a fierce, long-standing climate debate, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., said yesterday the agency will now define wood as a "carbon-neutral" fuel for many regulatory purposes." This was in 2018 and hasn't changed.

Don't let a poster try and shame you out of burning wood. I love the smell of a burning fire and if it causes issues it couldn't be any worse than millions of acres in California going up in smoke every year. But those fine particles wash out of the air when it rains so little harm after it rains.

I have a wood burning stove with a catalytic combustor and is smokeless after the fire gets going. It can burn wood at a lower temperatures with a high efficiency and will emit larger particles that drop quicker (also stated by the EPA). My dream was to have a Masonry wood burning stoves like they have in north and and north eastern countries of Europe including European Russia. Just Denmark alone has about 2.2 million masonry stoves, or about one stove for every 2 1/2 Danish citizens, and their average life span is a year and a half longer than the united states. We have 10 to 12 million stoves but Denmark is the size of South Carolina so per square mile we have way less the Denmark. Our stoves aren't going to hurt anyone, but I can't say the same for the burning buildings in California. Eyes wide shut?

Nicole

@Alisande...your awesome. Keep us posted on what you buy....

Alisande, we make major use of our wood stove too. It's a Jøtul. We burn about 2 cord a year. It's going to feel especially nice with the snow storm coming this weekend!

Kevin, we looked into getting a masonry stove when we were building, but the space it was going to take up, plus the structure it would need in the basement to support it became overwhelming. I'm kind of glad... a neighbor put in a russian stove which developed a crack so they can't use it and to repair it is cost prohibitive. So they're kind of stuck.

We have a natural gas fireplace that we converted from wood burning several years ago simply because we didn’t like the mess of hauling wood into the house. I love the smell of a wood burning fireplace, though.

We do have a large outdoor winter bonfire every year or two, after cleaning up deadfall on our property, and make a bit of a party out of it. I try to do what I can, when I can, but we can’t do it all. I’m hopping on a jet plane for a six hour flight in a few days not because I need to but because I want to. Definitely not the best for the environment. I’d be a hypocrite to gripe about someone with a wood burning stove!

All the best, Alisande!

Between an old, drafty house that takes a lot of oil to heat and two of four vehicles getting in the low teens mpg, I’m not in a position to cast stones. But I do want to point out that the EPA ruling Kevin mentions above is an unfortunate and controversial one. In a perfect world with adequate reforesting it could be carbon neutral, but let’s not pretend that’s happening. The sapplings that get replanted hardly make up for the mature trees they replace. Don’t take it from me, it’s easy enough to google and find credible discussion. The effects of this ruling are not pretty.

I always loved the crackle and smell of a wood fire, but for me it has lost some charm. Every November, one day I wake up thinking something in the house is burning. Sometime in March that goes away. It’s a neighbor way down the road with a wood stove. What was once a welcome smell is now like the co-worker who comes to work overloaded with the same cologne, day after day. Kevin, if your “catalyst combuster” helps alleviate the smell, I’m sure your neighbors (if any) appreciate it.

Our Buck Model 91 woodstove insert qualifies for an Energy Home Credit under US tax credit under Sec. 25(C) of the US Internal Revenue Code. Go figure.

I have some acreage, and the mature trees we burn are all from our own property. The past few years they've been mostly ash, attacked by ash borers

I used to own a separate piece of property that I once had logged--not for my own use of the wood, but because I was told the thinning-out process made the forest healthier. The logging company was said to be environmentally conscious. It was a bad decision. The result was awful, and I doubt that was an isolated incident.

I had a woodstove in my other two houses. Loved them. Those puppies really put out the heat!

" Elmer has tried to shame me out of lots of things . . . chiropractic care, homeopathy, medical self-care in general, and others I can't remember. "

I'm sorry you've misunderstood. With only sincere concern and with no malice intended, I've tried to nudge you into understanding that at times you've been fooled by the equivalent of medical charlatans Con men/ con women. In the case of the first two you mention, both chiropractors and homeopaths can dispense care known to be bogus. They're not "trained" to do anything else.

Ever hear of a chiropractor or homeopath treating someone in a hospital. Or providing prescriptions for medications requiring such? You haven't, they're not allowed to. Might you wonder why?

The real damage they do is to patients thinking that their particular medical problems are being treated when in fact what these types of practitioners can provide does nothing of the sort. Like seeing a shaman who burns incense and utters various mantras over you instead of getting treatment from qualified medical doctor(s).

Self-care, consider your own or anyone else's qualifications to treat yourself (themselves) and I'll leave it at that.

"With only sincere concern and with no malice intended, I've tried to nudge you into understanding that at times you've..."

No, you've repeatedly "mansplained" what Alisande should do. If you haven't figured it out yet, women don't like to have things mansplained.

I know you won't get this but women don't like or need to be "nudged" into understanding something. Coming from a man the way it comes from you, the automatic reaction is to ignore it. You talk to women like we're stupid. Alisande and others have told you that and you persist. That's the definition of stupid 🤣

Your comment sephia has more blatant gender bigotry than anything I say. I know it's intentionally offense. I feel sorry for you. I'd ignore it but for some respect I have for you for other exchanges we've had.

What I find I want to comment on and how I do so are unaffected by the gender of the person I'm speaking to. Your flagrantly wrong comment reeks of the kind of knee jerk reactions heard sometimes from minority group members who assume their misfortunes or poor treatment from others results only from racist attitudes. Do you see the similarity in your reaction?

It concerns me that people entrust their health and well-being to phonies. And it can be yet another circumstance where otherwise intelligent people allow unsupported "beliefs" to lead them away from common sense and widely known facts.

I have no gender biases. If my comments are not delivered with pillows covered in silk, it's because I feel strongly about it.

Food, there were times in the past Britain and southern Europe faced firewood shortages and had to import wood from northern Europe. Today, for just the DRAX biomass power plant, and biggest in the UK they import 7 million tons of pelletized wood from USA and Canada every year! Are you ready for this? There are 225 other biomass power plants in the united kingdom and 4800 world wide. Think of a ton of pelleted biomass product and try to imagine 200 million tons! And it's all very short term carbon storage and is carbon neutral.

To understand Carbon neutral someone needs to understand the carbon cycle. All biomass that grows and dies is consumed by microorganisms and nearly all carbon is gassed off as carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere., only a tiny fraction is trapped deep in the ground. Trapped carbon happens in long term carbon sinks such as bogs, peat, lake bottoms and oceans bottoms. (or a forest covered with volcanic ash) and becomes the next megaannum's coal or oil fields. Forests are short term carbon sinks in relationship to time.

The great thing about all biomass sources is the fact that, pound for pound they all contain same amount of carbon per weight and about 50%, and same number of BTU per pound. A 80 yr old oak's carbon can easily be captured by a field of hay in 3 months or a small stand of fast growing popular trees in a few years. So a stand of the right saplings, bamboo, hay, weeds and duckweed can easily recapture the carbon from a mature oak tree in no time. For carbon it's not a tree for the same type tree, and any biomass sink will do to soak up the Co2. The EPA ruling was correct and based on concrete facts, and not based on opinions formed through emotional and bias manipulation of the facts.

Here is some other fact, more Co2 means more heat and more vegetative growth. This will create more oxygen in the atmosphere and bigger mammals giving us bigger T bone steaks. 500 million years ago earth's atmosphere was 21% oxygen, 350 million years ago it was 35% and now it's 21%.. Earth climate is based on cycles that can not be changed by man. Every human can die and return their carbon to the atmosphere and it won't change a thing, we are in a interglacial period and nothing we can do will stop it. Google it.

Elmer, while I half agree with you, not being able to write prescriptions does not make treatment quackery. Neother pychologists or physical therapists can write prescriptions either, and their help is respected. And, along with chiropractic, paid for by medical insurance. If a chiropractor can help pain, is he less legit than oxy? Neither cure.

(Disclosure - I’ve had numerous sessions with three different chiropractors for back issues. Pass the oxy, please. But if it helps some, great.)

Elmer, I have no desire to waste time and energy engaging with you on these topics, but you are woefully uninformed on homeopathy. Queen Elizabeth II, who always had her personal homeopathic physicians, would have agreed.

Do as you wish, of course.

While QE was gracious enough, I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find much intelligent life or good judgement among the members of that extended royal family anytime in the last century. Not Charles in his earlier life, much more in addition to how he treated Princess Di. Not his brother, surely. Nor his father, a bit of a dead fish (who Charles himself described as not a very good father). Nor many other related ancestors.

There are better role models for people whose opinions to value or practices to emulate.

We had woodstoves for 45 years and I loved them. In our new house in a development, we sat on a hill and the wind whipped through the sliding door. So we got a woodstove and it supplemented our "all electric" house which was a selling point back in the day. When we bought the 1840 farmhouse it came with a woodstove in one of the three fireplaces. It's still standing in the dining room and I want it removed as it's been a few years now that we stopped using it. I have pictures of my then cats lining up in a row on the long farm table all winter long. Sadly the three I have now never experienced it. My husband split four /five cords a year and we kept the fire going all the winter months. But age caught up with him and it got to be a chore and my daughter was worried about a house fire so the stove stands cold. He used to go up on the roof and clean the chimney every year. Id love to have it again but it is not in the cards.

Queen Elizabeth ll is an excellent example Alisande. ( I’m not sure why the rest of her family got dragged into the conversation.) She was as sharp as a tack and quite healthy right to the end. She did something right. It certainly worked for her.

Thanks, Roxsol. Elizabeth was 96 at her Platinum Jubilee. I love this video of her with Paddington Bear (and the wonderful Adam Lambert). It's one of the videos I've watched more than once because it always makes me smile.

Lily, I empathize completely. Life constantly evolves. Some of the changes can be fun and exciting, but the older we get, the more likely they are to be the other kind. If we're lucky, we can acknowledge them and adjust. I wouldn't be able to use my woodstove anymore if it weren't for my son living nearby and keeping me supplied with wood. In fact, there's lots of things that would be difficult for me in my old farmhouse if he weren't here to help me out. I do hire a chimney cleaner every year because I don't want him on the roof.

Yes, cats love to be warm. I'm down to one cat now, and you can always find her asleep by the woodstove.

Alisande, it made me smile too. Thanks!