• Just between us

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cording firewood and the lessons you can learn from it

posted by BOFarrell at 9h31

You know when you were a kid, you were told that we all have talent. Sometimes, these talents were just hidden.

Well, mine has been discovered. I poses a remarkable ability to stack a perfect cord of firewood. By the time it’s done – and I know this sounds incredibly boastful – but it’s a work of art.

At times, I find myself admiring that perfect row of wood. It looks nice. It smells good. It is a source of great satisfaction. Others have even expressed admiration.

The secret is simple. I love to do it. It’s crazy, really. Slightly freakish, I’ll admit. But no one gets hurt.

It is a great way to relax and think. I can usually find the solution to all my problems when I, as the expression goes, cord wood.

When I cord firewood I’m alone – just me, the wood, my trusty wheelbarrow, a good pair of work gloves. It’s usually cool. The fall is a great time to be outdoors. And you stack.

As your row of wood builds, you gain a momentum. It’s wonderful. You build your ends, picking each piece so that your row is sturdy, supports the weight of the other pieces of wood. And you stack.

I started cording firewood when I was a kid. Two people taught me how to do it.

One was a guy by the name of Rosaire Bilodeau. He used to cut wood for my father on our farm. He was quite the character. I credit him with the teaching me an important truism. As he put it: “On chauf pas avec des troues.” His point was that your cord of firewood had to be tight. It couldn’t be full of holes.

The other person who schooled me in the art of stacking wood was my older brother. For some reason he always felt compelled to turn almost everything we did into a classroom of life. It was a little over the top, I thought back then. But when I look back at it now, I appreciate his input.

When I used to cord firewood, my brother would come along with a piece of moulding, an eight-foot strip of wood, and hold it up to the face of the cord. If the moulding was flush with the stack at one spot, but there was a gap in another spot, he would make me re-stack the cord so that the front of the cord would be completely flush with his piece of moulding.

It sounds a little extreme. And I suppose it was. But, as he used to say, “If you are going to do it, do it right.” Another truism that is worth learning at a young age.

These two men taught me important lessons. And I think of both of them every time I cord my firewood.

Perhaps the reason I enjoy stacking firewood so much is because it reminds me of the importance of doing things right and knowing if you do, you will always be able to stay warm, cozy and comfortable.

Not bad standards to live by.

Brenda O'Farrell