Why Do You Need So Much Firewood?

[DexterDay]

Finally someone else testifies to the light and voices in our heads ! I thought only Scotty ,MM and I heard the "buy more saws , cut more wood " voices !

I hear it.. I heard it yesterday. Bought a Husq 575xp (I have read that I shouldn't, but I still did) that makes um... A LOT of Saws. 5 pretty big ones

As for firewood. I get a lot of stupid comments and the occasional person that stops and asks "How Much"? But I know the worth and the warmth That's all I need. (And a chit load of chainsaws)

 

[fabsroman]

Finally someone else testifies to the light and voices in our heads ! I thought only Scotty ,MM and I heard the "buy more saws , cut more wood " voices !

I have more voices than that. They go something like "Buy more saws, cut more wood, buy more guns, shoot more targets, buy more bikes, ride more miles." Get a few others in there once in a while too. "Buy more rods, catch more fish. Buy a welder, build a splitter."

 

[ArsenalDon]

Been down that path with similar comments . The answer I got is "well ,that's just different than firewood ! " They actually do cover their fresh split wood . They completely cover it with plastic so that it won't get wet before they need it that winter . Whatever works for them , I guess !

To quote Forest Gump....mamma always said stupid is as....oh never mind....cause my momma said if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.

 

[NortheastAl]

Nah I just ignore people now.Not my fault they're stupid & cant/wont understand simple explanations for the 10th time.

Thistle, there are new people joining all the time, and they need to hear it for the first time. I know it can be repetitive and seem like you are talking to a bunch of thick-heads, but it's from those such as yourself that I learned and understood the value of having a chit load of wood aged to three years.

 

[Trilifter7]

It's funny bc my neighbor across the street is from Canada so I get the exact opposite from them. Their 8 year old son loves to come over and help me unload my truck or move my piles around. All I here from him is, " My Grandpa has way more wood than you!". I just laugh and tell him " We'll see who has more next year". I don't mind bc he's a good helper and he listens to me talk to him about all I've learned from you guys so far.

 

[ironpony]

I have people walking by tell me how neat my woods are all the time. My wife and I spend alot of time clearing sticks, leaves and fallen trees. I also have a fair amount of wood stacks visible and they ask about them, My reply is I only stack them to keep the woods neat I do not even have a fireplace. I get some strange looks. Really the only wood I burn is in my wood fired oven.

 

[Craby]

One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.

I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.

She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property, but come on, we have to be respectable and this is not a good view from her house.

I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules. I hope she doesn't call the authority on me or get more upset when the hoard increases.

We have a fire pit out back so I recon she's thinking it's for camp/bon fires. Maybe I should ask her for her permission/forgiveness & explain that I use it to heat 24/7 or give her a gift basket to smooth things over.

 

[PapaDave]

Thistle, there are new people joining all the time, and they need to hear it for the first time. I know it can be repetitive and seem like you are talking to a bunch of thick-heads, but it's from those such as yourself that I learned and understood the value of having a chit load of wood aged to three years.

It's not the 1st timers Al, it's the 10th timers.

 

[PA Fire Bug]

A few people asked why so much firewood last summer. With the extended winter weather, no one is asking now.

 

[JP11]

She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property,.

As soon as that comes out of her mouth.. cut her off and say.. You're absolutely right, You can't. Then go back inside. Throw a big, Have a Nice Day over your shoulder on the way in.

JP

 

[Billybonfire]

To quote Forest Gump....mamma always said stupid is as....oh never mind....cause my momma said if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.

Similar old Lancashire saying here "if in doubt, say nowt".

 

[Billybonfire]

One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.

I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.

She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property, but come on, we have to be respectable and this is not a good view from her house.

I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules. I hope she doesn't call the authority on me or get more upset when the hoard increases.

We have a fire pit out back so I recon she's thinking it's for camp/bon fires. Maybe I should ask her for her permission/forgiveness & explain that I use it to heat 24/7 or give her a gift basket to smooth things over.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Think we here all love to see a neat stack of wood.

 

[Jon1270]

I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules.

I've got a very similar situation, on an even smaller lot. Haven't had any complaints so far, but I plan to keep the stacks neat and close to the house, minimize chainsaw use at home, insulate so that I don't need quite so much wood, and avoid gathering too much oak. My neighborhood is just covered with mature hardwood trees that are always being trimmed or taken down. It's hard to let a scrounge opportunity go by, but I have to draw a line somewhere. I probably could be more assertive about what I can do on my property, but I value good relations with neighbors too.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.

I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.

She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property, but come on, we have to be respectable and this is not a good view from her house.

I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules. I hope she doesn't call the authority on me or get more upset when the hoard increases.

We have a fire pit out back so I recon she's thinking it's for camp/bon fires. Maybe I should ask her for her permission/forgiveness & explain that I use it to heat 24/7 or give her a gift basket to smooth things over.

This sounds exactly like problems in the country. It is hard to believe how many hate it when the fields are planted to corn. Blocks their view so they can't see what their neighbors are doing.... To me that says only one thing; nosey people! Stack it higher.

 

[PapaDave]

 

[fabsroman]

One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.

I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.

She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property, but come on, we have to be respectable and this is not a good view from her house.

I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules. I hope she doesn't call the authority on me or get more upset when the hoard increases.

We have a fire pit out back so I recon she's thinking it's for camp/bon fires. Maybe I should ask her for her permission/forgiveness & explain that I use it to heat 24/7 or give her a gift basket to smooth things over.

lol - I grew up in Silver Spring. Intersection of Randolph Road and New Hampshire Avenue. Moved to Germantown when I got married and now we are in West Friendship, Howard County for better schools. My parents are still at the same house I grew up in. 2/3 of an acre with a huge shed that required some court appearances because of the neighbor, and my dad has about 5 cords of wood stacked in the backyard right now.

Be happy you don't live in Bethesda or Chevy Chase. Those people would be all over you for cutting down a tree and even more so for stacking splits in the yard and having smoke coming out of your chimney.

Tell the 70+ year old woman that NO view from a house in downtown Silver Spring is a good view. Man, the difference of waking up here in western Howard County and looking out my window is just incredible. I have 2 acres. Next door neighbor has 5 acres and the other has 3 acres. Nice wide open spaces here, hardly any noise, and 3 of the four people around me burn wood to heat their homes. One guy wants to know where the heck I get all my wood from, another gives me the "Its going to rot lecture." They have all been great neighbors the 2 years we have lived here. The guy with the "Its going to rot lecture" came over with his tractor after it snowed the first week we were here and he plowed our driveway for us. Yep, other than this stupid gun control proposal in Maryland, I am in heaven right now. Cut and split another cord of red oak today.

My problem is my wife. She came out and saw the stack of red oak and said "Where are you going to put all this? We can hardly park the cars in the driveway as it is." Told her "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I need another 5 cords to get 3 years ahead so I can relax." She shrugged her shoulders, said "Ok", and went back inside. She understands we saved over $2k on our utility bill and the house was nice and WARM (e.g., 75 degrees versus 68).

 

[fabsroman]

This sounds exactly like problems in the country. It is hard to believe how many hate it when the fields are planted to corn. Blocks their view so they can't see what their neighbors are doing.... To me that says only one thing; nosey people! Stack it higher.

Yeah, I would tell the lady that the reason I have so much firewood is because I don't like my view of her house and am trying to stack it high enough so I can look at my firewood instead of her house. Not quite there yet though. Going to stack up a couple more cords.

I know where this guy lives. Downtown Silver Spring is right on the border of Washington, DC in one heck of a liberal county. Comments like that from the lady are not surprising. Then, when the power goes out, these people freeze their rears off. God help Montgomery County residents if we ever get hit hard by mother nature.

 

[Jon1270]

Downtown Silver Spring is right on the border of Washington, DC in one heck of a liberal county.

Could we steer away from making this out to be some sort of liberal/conservative thing? Woodburning and firearms are not the same thing, and I seriously doubt liberalism is associated with uptightness about the appearance of suburban yards.

 

[Boa69]

I have more voices than that. They go something like "Buy more saws, cut more wood, buy more guns, shoot more targets, buy more bikes, ride more miles." Get a few others in there once in a while too. "Buy more rods, catch more fish. Buy a welder, build a splitter."

Haha I hear the same voices!

 

[Thistle]

Yeah, I would tell the lady that the reason I have so much firewood is because I don't like my view of her house and am trying to stack it high enough so I can look at my firewood instead of her house. Not quite there yet though. Going to stack up a couple more cords.

Exactly.Its none of her damn business what you do on YOUR property.

 

[bigbarf48]

Could we steer away from making this out to be some sort of liberal/conservative thing? Woodburning and firearms are not the same thing, and I seriously doubt liberalism is associated with uptightness about the appearance of suburban yards.

It is associated with nosiness and stickin noses where they shouldn't be though I think that was the point being made. It's none of her business what's going on in his yard

 

[Jon1270]

It is associated with nosiness and stickin noses where they shouldn't be though I think that was the point being made.

I'm well aware of what he meant. I disagree with the notion, and I think it's unnecessarily divisive. Other people can be pains in the ass no matter their political stripes.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

So Jon, keep your political stripes out of it. No harm done.

 

[Gark]

Because it shrinks as it dries for two or three years! Heheh.

 

[fabsroman]

I'm well aware of what he meant. I disagree with the notion, and I think it's unnecessarily divisive. Other people can be pains in the ass no matter their political stripes.

Yeah, there is no doubt about it. There are exceptions to every rule. However, there are some stereotypes that fit most of the time too. If you are a liberal that heats your house with wood, kudos to you. Heck, my parents, brothers, and one of my sisters are about to convert to Democrats because they cannot influence a single seat in their county, state, or federal governments because Montgomery County only elects liberals. So, they will at least be able to vote in the primaries to try and elect the most conservative of the bunch.

Thing is, Montgomery County is the type of county that would pass an ordinance banning wood burning. I've lived there the first 39 years of my life. 5 years ago, I decided enough is enough because of the political climate there, and we finally found a house we like 2 years ago. Taxes were going through the roof, it was illegal to discharge a firearm almost anywhere, traffic is insane, and gangs had moved into the area. Thing is, Montgomery County and Northern Virginia are two of the best areas in the DC area for scrounging because very few people have any desire to burn wood. I had a 36" white oak sit around down there for 3 weeks. Not around where I live. Somebody cut down 4 oaks last weekend and by the following Saturday morning they were all gone. I was lucky to get a truckload out of that one.

Here is the tree removal permit required by Chevy Chase:

http://www.townofchevychase.org/assets/documents/pdfs/trees/treepermit.pdf

Here is the Chevy Chase "Unofficial Guide to Land Use". Feel free to peruse the 110 pages of unofficial local town ordinances.

(broken link removed to http://www.townofchevychase.org/assets/documents/pdfs/committees/land%20use/Formatted%20Building%20Handbook%20for%20website%20ver%202.pdf)

Did I mention that there isn't a single elected Republican/conservative on that board?

Here are the fines for removing a canopy tree:

First offense: Any person or persons guilty of a municipal infraction shall be subject to a fine, per canopy tree, of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or the maximum amount permitted by state law, whichever is greater.

Second offense: A second violation of this chapter within a two-year period, or a violation of a stop work order, shall be a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punishable by a fine, per canopy tree, of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or the maximum amount permitted by state law, whichever is greater, and imprisonment for six (6) months or the maximum duration permitted by state law, whichever is greater.

http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=12209

Feel free to read all 15 ordinances for removing a canopy tree. Better have an attorney on speed dial before you fire up that chainsaw in Chevy Chase. These ordinances are on top of the Montgomery County ordinances and the State of Maryland Code.

Just read through some more of the town ordinances to see what they are like, and I feel like throwing up.

Read this section that requires hedges to be 3 feet or less. Not to mention there is a lot of subjective requirements in there like not allowing landscaping to grow such that sightlines are obstructed for safety purposes.

http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=12209

Oh yeah, downtown Silver Spring is about 2 exits away from Chevy Chase on the DC Beltway. I moved to the conservative part of a county that neighbors Montgomery County and nobody cares a bit about what I do on my property.

Now, we pick political parties because they generally represent the majority of our core values. If you are affiliated with the Democratic party, that is because you hold the majority of their values. Same goes for being a Republican. As I said earlier, there are exceptions though because not everybody adheres to EVER core value of their political party. For instance, I am pro-choice. I am in favor of some sort of immigration reform, but if you were to ask my immigrant parents about that question they are adamant that everybody go through the same ordeal they went through which I can relate to.

What bugs me is that the lady wants her neighbor to be a good neighbor by getting rid of the firewood that is unsightly to her, without once thinking "Hey, this guy might actually need this firewood to be able to afford to heat his family." Not saying that is the case, but she surely is only thinking about what her view from her window looks like and not what the wood burning person's situation might be.

I am going to leave it at this and not even touch on the issue of liberals and firearms, which I have already said there are exceptions to the rule. The none exceptions are what bug the heck out of me. Wait until government wants to ban chainsaws to protect the children and trees.