Oh, Firewood

This last week, I was almost singularly focused on a typical fall project: getting our firewood together. Anyone who burns wood to stay warm in the winter knows that this task, if it slips the radar, can be a very compromising problem. Wet firewood has a hard time getting going in the woodstove, and doesn't burn as warm as if it is dry. The firewood work itself is pleasing to me, even though it is A LOT of physical work.

This year, we have had a very large, unsightly assortment of mangy tree sections and limbs that Drew hauled with the tractor into our curtelage, in addition to some wood we bought at an auction as a donation to the Petrolia Volunteer Fire Department last fall. Quantity was not an issue, as it has been in some years past. This year's difficulty was the lack of access to woodsplitter, and the fact that here we are in September, and as of last week, the wood was still not stacked under cover, leaving us vulnerable to the unpredictable schedule of first rain.

At last, we secured access to a hydraulic woodsplitter, but alas, Drew has been working full time on his project and was not available either for splitting OR for child care. Wife to the rescue (well, to be fair, Drew did do a bunch of bucking and splitting last weekend, on his days off). With some juggling, and the goodwill of neighbors willing to babysit Ella for a few separate sessions, and the ability to stack wood during naptime, we got the wood put up and under cover. WHEW! It feels like such a relief, since I had been hoping to get this task done in July. Ahhh, to be warm in December.

Well, we did even have our first fire the other night. The fog has been a thick and moist presence almost every night for the last nine days or so. The weather is a-changing. For now, I can rest, knowing we will be warm and dry, regardless of the worst the winter storms can throw at us.