Friday, September 16, 2011

A man may always look with pride...


...upon his woodpile.

Here's mine.

Every stick in it I have personally handled at least twice so far and will do so again at least once, twice if you count disposing of the ashes after I burn it.

I split every piece that has been split and did so the old fashioned way with a only a maul, sledgehammer, and wedges.

There's some degree of pride in taking a big stick and, with a single mighty blow, cleaving the offending oversized piece into just the right sizes to burn. OK, Plodder admits that sometimes it takes several mighty blows. I admit also delivering a pathetic, anemic blow at times. No one's perfect.

Come cool and cold weather, I will make a game out of not using my HVAC system to heat the house but rather burning wood. It offends me to hear my system come on; however, if the-woman-who-shares-my-name wants it on, it comes on.

Some months my sattelite TV bill is larger than the power bill for my all electric domicile.

Working on the old woodpile is therapeutic. No, I don't feel the need to work out ecclesiastical agression with my maul but it does give one a feeling of satisfaction to end a woodpile session and gaze upon one's work: There stands a nicely stacked row of firewood that wasn't there an hour ago. I did it all myself.

Every pastor understands the frustration of ending a church work day and not seeing anything having been accomplished. Not so with the woodpile.

Plodder heartily recommends the woodpile to all of his brethren.

4 comments:

Stephen Fox said...

A Woodpile is a good thing. My Brother would be proud of you and my Grandfather, W. D. Willie Dan Fox would be proud of you as well.
His Daddy Manker was a timberman and one of his brother in laws was the kind of fellow who could look at a stand of timber and tell you how many board feet were in it.
So good at it they sent him to Africa in the 60's cause of his skill.
Gaffney Indians, number five in the nation play Byrnes at Byrnes tonight; Byrnes home of Marcus Lattimore.
I know the last name there puts a chill in your neck of the woods, but you got that good woodpile.

Tim Rogers said...

Brother William,

There is an old saying here in NC; "A man who cuts his own wood warms himself twice." Nice looking woodpile.

Blessings,
Tim

David Montoya said...

We have very little need of such woodpiles in central Texas, however I do have a stacks and stacks of broken 1X10X12 inch pine boards that I burn in my chiminea. I do not use an ax, wedge, or sledge hammer to split them. I use my front two knuckles, the side of my hand (both sides) and the back of my hand. often I break up to six at a time with a hammer fist. It is wonderfully therapeutic!

Gary said...

My Bride understands that I *need* to mow the lawn. I keep it in pretty good shape, the neighbors ask how I do it and I tell them it is a 'family secret'.

But mowing is a different matter. I do better problem solving and project management behind the lawnmower than at any other time of the week.

Don't know why, but the steps to complete projects just flow freely while I'm doing this.

And I expect that you've written many a sermon point and object lesson while splitting wood.

Have a great week, William!