Photo: John J. Watkins | The Times
Well, the signs are spring are beginning to show with sights of Sandhill Cranes headed back north and the Spring Peepers beginning their annual late winter chorus. Not a moment to soon for me. I am not sure where you live, but around these parts we have had a winter to remember. We have had deep cold days with snow, ice and just about everything in between. I would like to point out that back in the fall the meteorlogical wizards had predicted a drier and warmer winter, while the predictions of the Farmers Almanac was right on target. So much for science. While I know that there will be more winter to come before the Old Man loses his grip entirely, it is comforting to know that we are on the downhill slide.
While I look forward to spring, I will miss some parts of what winter brings. One of these is the woodstove in my home. I bought a Fisher Grandma stove back in 1978. Nothing fancy, but for 33 years it has burned many a cord of wood and brought recycled sunshine (warmth and glow) to me and my family. While it may sound crazy to a lot of you, I actually enjoy gathering firewood and the splitting process which must follow. The cutting is done with a chainsaw but the splitting is done the old-fashioned way with muscle and maul in hand.
The process of splitting firewood must be performed in a similar manner to a kayaker reading the upcoming river rapids. The log has to be analyzed so that the minimum necessary effort is applied during the splitting process to achieve success. Red Oak splits likes butter while Hickory will make you pay dearly for your effort. One life lesson that I have learned from my wood-splitting days is that if you only give the swing of the maul half your best you will probably come up empty. So always give it your best — which is as it should be.
See you next time,
Jim
