Comfort in my woodpile.

[adrpga498]

Just when I thought I had spent enough time tweaking what needs to be done regarding wood piles and hh's I spent some time reading posts on the forum and wonder......geeee maybe I better go out and see how things are by the wood.....again.

 

[mike1234]

The neighbors call you "Mr XXX"? Are you a spy? or secret agent? or being XXX a porno actor? I hear the answer now.... "I could tell you but....

I love my "woodland"! My back yard backs up to a wooded lot so I dont have to worry about what the nieghbors think, well one nieghbor does see the stacks but they have no issues.... their young kids ask the parents all the time, "what wrong with Mr. XXX, he is always out there even in the rain, doesnt he have enough wood yet?". I like designing my woodland expansion, more stacks, and figuring out the best way to set it up so I can get to the wood when it comes time to burn. It has become a maze. Just the other day I laid our another section with pallets so its ready to be filled. I should give tours.
Woodland is my escape, I have come to treasure it.

 

[dreezon]

I love looking at my piles...I do it daily! I don't like burning it either because I know what it took to get it there... When I look back though, it does not seem like it was that much work. I started this year with 2 cords c/s/s and now I have 10+ cords c/s/s. Its a pretty cool feeling. Some friends are just getting in to it and the awe they have in their eyes when they see it all stacked up... its worth every ounce of sweat.

I look forward to that first fire from April on!

There is a certain comfort in knowing we're not alone. I honestly felt kind of ashamed for going out and looking at my wood stacks so much, like it was the action of a pathetic, mentally ill man. My neighbors stopped asking after six or eight truck loads, but my wife still lovingly mocks me for going out and looking at it. Does anyone else run their hands over the ends as though you can discover the moisture content that way?

 

[gzecc]

Lee, Hope the wife isn't having the boyfriend over when she sends you out to add to the 800 cord?

 

[ChrisNJ]

[/quote] There is a certain comfort in knowing we're not alone. I honestly felt kind of ashamed for going out and looking at my wood stacks so much, like it was the action of a pathetic, mentally ill man. [/quote]

LOL that is so funny, I don't go out and walk around and inspect them nearly as much as I would like to just because of that

 

[Flatbedford]

I'm not inspecting my stacks,... I'm walking the dog!

 

[woodgeek]

The neighbors call you "Mr XXX"? Are you a spy? or secret agent? or being XXX a porno actor? I hear the answer now.... "I could tell you but....

I love my "woodland"! My back yard backs up to a wooded lot so I dont have to worry about what the nieghbors think, well one nieghbor does see the stacks but they have no issues.... their young kids ask the parents all the time, "what wrong with Mr. XXX, he is always out there even in the rain, doesnt he have enough wood yet?". I like designing my woodland expansion, more stacks, and figuring out the best way to set it up so I can get to the wood when it comes time to burn. It has become a maze. Just the other day I laid our another section with pallets so its ready to be filled. I should give tours.
Woodland is my escape, I have come to treasure it.

He thinks it sounds better than Mr. Got Wood. I might have to agree.

I'm less formal--just call me woodgeek.

 

[GatorDL55]

these same folks would not criticize you if you had an extra capacity propane or fuel oil tank added in the back yard
it comes down to jelousy ,they dont like the idea you have free heat for next several seasons just waiting to be used ,meanwhile they are stuck paying
untold thousands in fossil fuels to some conglomerate company that they despise only to be in a sweatshirt at 68 degrees.

If the stacks were dollar bills (which they kind of are), they would be singing a different tune.

 

[John the Painter]

I always enjoyed helping pack wood with my dad.With 4 women in the house it was a bonding time for us.And a chance to get away . ;-) I learned everything I know about burning wood from him and when my wife and I bought our house the biggest thing for me was that it have a woodstove or one could easily be installed.Like I say.It's a lifestyle.

 

[John the Painter]

I love looking at my piles...I do it daily! I don't like burning it either because I know what it took to get it there... When I look back though, it does not seem like it was that much work. I started this year with 2 cords c/s/s and now I have 10+ cords c/s/s. Its a pretty cool feeling. Some friends are just getting in to it and the awe they have in their eyes when they see it all stacked up... its worth every ounce of sweat.

I look forward to that first fire from April on!

There is a certain comfort in knowing we're not alone. I honestly felt kind of ashamed for going out and looking at my wood stacks so much, like it was the action of a pathetic, mentally ill man. My neighbors stopped asking after six or eight truck loads, but my wife still lovingly mocks me for going out and looking at it. Does anyone else run their hands over the ends as though you can discover the moisture content that way?

I think it's something like petting the dog.Saying "good boy"

 

[LLigetfa]

I also find comfort in my woodpiles. i hate the thought of burning them because i know what its going to take to replace them.

I love looking at my piles...I do it daily! I don't like burning it either because I know what it took to get it there...

I love looking at my piles too but I love burning it even more. The pleasure in seeing it is anticipating the pleasure burning it. If not for burning, it would just be a constant reminder of work.

I don't get it. It's like the saying "have your cake". What's the point in having cake if not to eat it? I wouldn't want to stare at cake I couldn't eat.

 

[Valhalla]

Each stack is a work of art. Then I take it apart as
it went together, piece by piece.

The final pleasure is taking out the perfectly seasoned
splits!

 

[bogydave]

Been said better than I ever could in several of the above posts.
.
Must be a guy thing.

Like Wood Duck said ," I work on my wood stacks all the time, and I don’t even have a wood stove.".

It's hard work & Just feels good,
That says allot.

 

[CrawfordCentury]

Comfort in my woodpile.

I misunderstood what this thread was going to be about. I thought it was going to be a bit more literal.

For example, I have an Art Nouveau oak side chair out in the barn by the woodpile. Use the kindling stump as an ottoman for puttin up the feet.

Within easy reach are several books on American history and other stuff I like to read.

Thinking of getting one of those dorm friges for out there so I don't need to go back into the house for another beer. That'd be real comfort in the woodpile!

 

[bogydave]

Comfort & art:
Almost to pretty to burn, almost

 

[jadm]

Grew up burning wood in our cabin in the Sierras when I was a kid. Father ordered wood in the summer. It was hot. It was dumped in our carport that had to be climbed up to from our cabin. Path zig-zagged so it helped with the steepness of the climb but it was a long way up. I HATED IT and complained loudly with every split I carried. My father ignored me and so I carried until all wood was down by the cabin and stored until winter hit.

I hated even carrying it into the cabin. My mantra was 'let someone else do it.' I had no appreciation. Didn't see why my father didn't just buy and use electric portable heaters. I was a pill of an adolescent.

I've learned a lot since then. My dad has been dead for 35 years now.

Can't help but think that he is smiling somewhere now as he watches me carry wood, 2 pieces at a time, on a daily basis to heat our house. I am sure he is amazed because I LOVE IT and now have kids who complain about it the way I did so I just carry most of it myself because I want to. Can't help wondering which of my children will get bitten by the wood burning bug when they are older and carry on this passion of mine.

Good thread and I really enjoyed reading what you wrote to start it off.

 

[mbcijim]

x2

I started cutting last year, but still haven't started burning yet. Problem is the geothermal runs fine... No reason to start burning just yet.
I cut/split 1/2 a cord by hand the other day for fun. To go with the other 10-12 cords! I have so much wood I already gave away 3 cords or so to friends & family.
We have a big cut & split day scheduled for our hunting cabin next weekend. And I can't wait!

 

[hawkeye4771]

i can relate to that contented sigh from relaxing and gazing at a nice stack of wood. just looking at the pieces stacked and seeing the grain and then seeing the rings. scratching my thumb nail across the rings and hearing an almost hollow sound go thruout the log. oh yeaaaaaa dat chit is gonna burn REAL GOOD! i belonged to the local Vol. Fire Dept. during the " Blizzard of "77" when all of western NY was ground to a halt for 5 days. a local Ma-Pa grocery store made up boxes of staples and some of us went out on snowmobiles to homes in out lying areas to deliver their food. drifts 20-30 feet high across the road then 100 yds of clear dry road. if you lost electric you was hurtin real bad! if you had a woodstove and wood, you was sittin pretty. i now have several sizes of cast iron frying pans and can sit and watch that fire burn inside as i'm making grilled cheese sandwiches on the stove and in the day time make up fried eggs and bacon- sausages, then nice juicy steaks for lunch with peppers-onions-mushrooms and watch the cobwebs gather on my gas range. i'll go out on my patio and gaze at the wood i have yet to burn and say "yep i'm burnin oak right now and come January i'll tap into the hickory and black locust for the arctic cold months". i know that either I cut and split and stacked that wood or else i bought a few cords from a guy who did that by himself so i'm happy to buy a few cords and know my money is going to that guy who actually worked for it and know that money is goin for groceries or Christmas presents for his family, instead of my heat bill money going to the Gas company that has 16 Executives making over $300,000 a year. sitting and watching wood burn in that stove is better than watching TV, granted i only get the one channel but then i don't have to put up with any commercials either.