Wood's in.....

So I am realizing I havent been doing well at keeping up with this blog. I guess this is for two reasons: One, I really dont think anyone reads it anymore. Two, we desperately need a new computer. This one is missing the "r" key, and it is really REALLY slow (it is 6 years old) and that really bothers me. But then I got to thinking: I dont really care if no one reads this, because WE read it and, just like MET's, it is a good way to remember our own lives and what we do from day to day. Someday we'll look back and enjoy this. And I guess I just need a new computer. I have TWO school computers (macbook and Gateway notebooks) which are faster. Maybe I should use those. Okay. I digress...

Obviously, THIS year's wood is done, and has been for a while. Part of it is shown below....the first blue tarp, and the green tarp all all for this year. I am really proud of the fact that I have split all our wood (by HAND...not these wussy splitters....which I know I will have to succumb to when I am 70) because it makes me feel I am providing for my family. Part of the many issues I have...haha. We have actually used a bunch of wood already, since it has been a pretty cold October. I have been using all my "kindling" wood, which is dry and good for hot and fast fires, and that stuff is basically gone already. A cold month.

Here is Callum standing in the woodshed, getting ready to grab a little piece of wood. He is getting really into the wood stove, and he loves carrying little pieces of kindling around. Also, as a Callum update, he is really into horses and whales lately...in fact that is all he talks about now.
Ahh.....fresh (and seasoned) red oak. Nothing smells better than freshly split red oak...it is sweet and musky and heavy. It is awesome. The downside is that because of this wet-like smell, it takes freakin' three years to dry and become seasoned. Oak is a VERY heavy and dense wood that is perfect for wood stoves. The stuff you see in the "shed" is all red oak that has been seasoning for three years. It should be awesome this year. The stuff to the left of the shed is the wood I just finished splitting and stacking (well, actually, Amanda stacked four pieces). Callum is walking around my "staging area," where I split all my wood (note the chopping block in the center). On Saturday I finished cleaning it all up, separating the bark for kindling, small pieces for fall fires, and chips for my "smoking" ventures. The black container next to the shed is a compost bin I made. Good stuff. I love my wood.

Okay, so I'm not totally done.....the stuff on the right is the oak (which looks stacked like crap because it was muddy and the ground was uneven). But the stuff to the left is rock maple (sugar maple) which is awesome stove wood, but splits harder than atoms. The oak and birch, on the other hand, splits easier than Jon and Kate Gossline.....I just wanted to tell some "split" jokes. But the maple sucks to split, and basically you need a wedge and a sledgehammer....which is kind of what Jon Gosselin needs to make HIS problems go away.......

Amanda's job will be to cover the wood with tarps.

It is a LOT of work, and my hands look like raw hamburg, but wood is an awesome workout and nothing beats heat from a wood stove. So, when the weather turns colder, come on over, "sit a spell" by our stove, and enjoy a glass of port or fresh beer. We'll be waiting for you....