Cutting Wood

Getting wood used to be a pretty endless job, especially in colder climates. My family once lived in the Appalachian Mountains, and it took a lot of firewood to see us through the year. At one time, people burned wood to cook with all year long, as well as to heat their homes in the winter. A few still do.

Getting in wood is one of the experiences I remember well from my childhood. Although I never did the initial cutting or splitting myself, I've watched and helped with sawing the logs into usable lengths and carrying and stacking the pieces. Pulling one end of a crosscut saw was hard work, but it made me feel special, especially when Dad was on the other end. Since I was an only child, I had no brothers or sisters to help.

My father's family owned a sawmill as he grew up, so he knew about wood. They moved about establishing sawmill camps. However, grandfather sold the sawmill, and all his sons had settled down before I was born. Daddy saw to it that we only used pine for starter or kindling and burned hardwoods in our stoves. Burning pine causes creosote to build up in the flue or chimney faster, which can cause a chimney fire and burn down the house. 

I'm glad we don't have to work so hard to heat and cook today, but fresh cut wood still brings back wonderful memories. And all the hard work involved doesn't seem so bad as I look back. As the old saying goes, "Gathering in wood warms you twice - when you do the work and when you burn the wood."

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