One weekend our middle kid came home to make wood. It was very much appreciated since he also brought a strapping college buddy with him who pitched in. With my husband and the boys working a Saturday, our wood pile stock has grown considerably and our woodstove is merrily chugging away.
I love the smell of an outdoor woodstove. There’s something earthy and solid about it. It gives me a grand sense of satisfaction to haul wood home from our own woods and use it to make our farmhouse toasty and comforting. Wood heat makes such a difference; it’s warmer and cozier.
The work involved in downing trees, cutting and splitting, and finally hauling the wood home to stack near our woodstove is another job to tackle on the farm when one heats with wood. This is done almost year-round when we have the opportunity but is intensified when our harvest is done for the year and the days become shorter and chillier.
Awhile back when we finished up the corn I knew in my heart I’d have just a little while to tend to my own business but wouldn’t be able to come up with excuses too much longer to get out of making wood. A few years ago I was the one that had pushed the idea of purchasing a woodstove so we could avoid the expense of buying fuel oil. I reasoned with my husband, “It’s like going back to the pioneer days! Living off the land! Using what we have! Doesn’t that sound good?” Now when it’s time to make wood he’s been known to say, “Well, come on pioneer woman! You wanted this woodstove!” He’s got a point.
While my husband could make wood himself, I don’t really like the idea of him out there alone, especially if he has to down a tree. One wrong move could prove to be very dangerous. I’ve come to realize the IDEA of having a woodstove and the REALITY of having a woodstove are two very different things.
While our son was home, he and his dad and friend also took the time to clear out their deer stands, making sure tree branches hadn’t fallen down that might obscure their line of sight and all the other things men do to ensure a successful hunt. My husband also checked out what we call our hunting shack, sweeping it out and making sure windows and doors were working properly.
Years ago my sister and brother-in-law knew of a guy that wanted to get rid of his ice fishing shanty. My brother-in-law is a very handy fella and in his mind’s eye saw that shanty morph into a hunting shack. Hauling it home they transformed it into a cozy hunting shack, complete with painting the outside with a camo paint and painting the floor white. They then threw sand down to still-wet paint, so it wouldn’t be slippery. Installing hooks inside for hanging hunting coats, they had in mind every possible way to make it nice. They even hung a framed picture of a buck in there! Included was a table attached to the wall that could fold up to make more room. My sister had some old chairs that we used to place around the table. They hauled the whole thing out to the woods for us on a snowmobile trailer. This was a birthday present to my husband that year and he was beyond pleased.
Once I sat in there on the second morning of opening weekend deer season with my husband. Quietly as possible I was trying to make myself comfortable and as I turned in the chair it creaked and squeaked and it sounded like I had a megaphone attached to the leg. I remember I got a look from my better half that said more than any words ever could.
End of harvest affords us the opportunity to make wood and take care of other odd jobs. With snow on the ground, already winter is making its presence known. And oh, that wood heat sure feels good!
(“Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table.” Proverbs 14:23 The Message Bible)
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