The puzzle is finished

With the good help of 19-year old friend/neighbor Leann yesterday we finished the stacking of 2 1/2 cords of wood.  There are three rows under this wood shed.

We get the wood delivered precut but quite often some of the pieces are way too large and we have to recut them so they can be handled and will fit into our two wood stoves in the house.  Leann had never swung an axe before but she quickly got the hang of it and was chopping away.  Was fun to watch her grow into the task.

Other housemates gave a hand one day last week for a bit as well.  I spent a total of eight hours on the job.

I love doing this although it is hard on the back.  But in my peace work it is rare that you see immediate results (if any at all) from your efforts.  Stacking wood (sort of like putting a big puzzle together) gives you fairly quick results and a real sense of accomplishment. 

After having lived in Florida for 30 years one of my great joys about being in Maine is sitting by the fire on a cold snowy day losing my mind in the dancing flames.  I was made to live in the cold country.

There is a great wood stacking story I love.  An old farmer hires a young man from the city to stack his wood one summer.  After working all day the young man asks how much wood should be stacked.  The farmer says, "Well, I'm not sure.  Why don't you go up the mountain and ask that old Indian what he thinks."

So the young man crawls up the mountain and asks the Indian.  The Indian says, "Well, I'm not sure but it might be a bad winter."  So the young man goes back down the mountain and stacks a bunch more wood.  He again asks the farmer if it is enough and he replies, "We'll I'm not sure.  Maybe check with that Indian again."

This goes on two or three more times and the young man is getting tired going up the mountain and stacking by now a massive wood pile.  So finally the young man musters up the courage to ask the Indian, "How is it that you know the weather is going to be bad this winter?"

The Indian looks to the sky and then down the mountain and points to a big wood pile in the farmer's field.  He says, "Well, I see that big wood pile down there so I figure it's going to be a bad one."

Bruce