How do you feel about chopping firewood?

For many, there’s something almost nostalgic and romantic about chopping firewood.  The idea tends to send toasty warm sensations and images of curling up with a soft, luxurious blanket on a worn, brown leather couch, as the warm glow from nearby candles and firelight dance upon your steamy glass of hot buttered rum or mug of gourmet minty, hot chocolate.  And of course, it’s also a great, fresh-air workout.  For us wilderness dwellers, a fully stacked woodshed is one of the most beautiful, comforting and satisfying pictures we can imagine and that’s what drives me to love splitting wood, most days.

Whenever I mention chopping firewood, most people enthusiastically respond with, “Oh I love chopping wood.”  Really? I suppose I believe this when I imagine all the wood rounds arriving in the back yard with little effort, stacked neatly around the chopping block, splitting like butter.  I’ve got a lot of love for that scenario too, but I’m pretty sure you’d be smiling and giving thanks for your heating bill this winter if you had to collect and chop firewood with me this year.

In classic echo bay style, I discovered I first needed to check off a 10 page “To Do List” before I even heaved and rolled the first round towards my woodshed.  My tasks weren’t going to be quick or easy either, it was time to start conserving the last few sticks of wood I had!

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3 Comments

  1. Elizabeth "C'elle" Cardarelli

    It’s always a blast to hear from you, Nikki. I love the Chronicles of Daisy and always look forward, aware of what it takes to publish, to the next exciting installment. I really appreciate that, since I couldn’t get up to visit you (yet), that you are bringing your fresh and creative self to me! I love you and, although I haven’t read your book yet, I feel the wisdom in what you share. I am always pleased to remember our wonderful times together. Blessings and joy, C’elle. P.S.You may not know that Doug passed away suddenly last June and it really was the end of an era for me. His passing was a remarkable story and I will tell it one day. My writing progresses.

  2. Splitting is certainly the easy part – especially when you have comparatively knot-free cedar and spruce.
    High-altitude pine has knot rings every 6 – 10 inches. Usually get two lots of knots on one piece of stove wood.

    • Yes, I sometimes find a beautiful splitting log of cedar, usually yellow if it does. But it sounds like we’ve both got hard to split wood for all kinds of reasons. I use cedar and fir here and hemlock if i have to. The cedar to cook on and the fir to keep warm in the winter.

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