Copyright berkshireeagle
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I live in a condo with a fireplace. We burn a wood fire regularly when the weather is cool. It's how we heat our living room and TV area. One of our neighbors is complaining that the smoke from the fire is bothering her -- she has pulmonary problems and says she can't breathe or even keep her windows open for fresh air. She has asked us to stop using it. She says if we don't, it will affect our friendship. We have cleaned our fireplace regularly and placed a new, larger flue on the chimney, but it didn't help. No other neighbors have complained. What can we say to her, and what obligation do we have to her? -- TWO SENIOR FIREPLACE LOVERS DEAR TWO: Your neighbor is a sick woman. She's complaining about the smoke because when you use the fireplace to heat your living area, it affects her breathing -- something people need to do in order to LIVE. Your obligation to her depends upon how you feel about observing the Golden Rule. If you feel any compassion for the plight of others, buy an electric heater (there are many good ones that won't break the bank), quit smoking your poor neighbor out and thank your higher power you don't have her problem.
