Cuttin Wood...

I am supposed to be over at Praise and Coffee today but I didn't get to writing that article and I hope that if I arrive with cookies Sue will forgive me and next week you can find me over there.

The reason I didn't is because over the weekend I was too tired to write...and if I did have a burst of energy, my fingertips were too sore to type.

Seriously.

Over the weekend I helped my hubby cut firewood. Now, as I kiddo I used to do this with my Dad and siblings. We would get a clear cut and go in and cut all the wood and haul it up hills to fill a truck that would be overflowing with wood and slowly drive it home where we would then fill our basement for our years worth of wood (that part of the basement is now where my boys play and sleep when they visit, this is astounding to me) and then when that was full we would stack it up and sell cords and ricks of wood.

So when we got our outdoor wood burner to heat our house and hot water, hubby was sure I'd be great help. He had married him a wood cuttin gal.

Except we kept having kids........so I have never helped him cut wood. I have, however, filled the wood stove many many times. But out in the woods cutting wood with him? Never.

But this weekend he had to get some wood, it was sorta an emergency gather, and asked if I would help.

The first load of wood really wasn't too bad. And I have to admit, smelling that wonderful red oak smell of fresh chopped wood and hearing the two youngest boys playing in the woods building forts made me think fondly of my wood cutting days with my Dad and siblings.
Here I am, after the first load of wood. This was our small load.

When we got this loaded, hubby and our super great neighbor who just likes to throw wood (really???? just enjoys all that hard work??? Thank you a million times over T!) I was rushing around getting lunch for everyone and then getting more cold drinks, getting snacks, getting laundry on the line and getting the tomatoes stocked on the stand.

And then all six of us headed out to get the big log out in the deep, beautiful woods. This log had fallen, blocking the road, and we were called to remove it. I love the woods we were at, my creative mind goes into over drive as the boys and I explored as Hubs was cutting up the wood. I can't stress it enough, these woods are BEAUTIFUL.

(this pic is especially for the Farmers Wife, who has ONE tree on her ranch)

Here is my super strong Ax Man chopping up the logs for us to fill the trailer with. We worked until dinner time and got the trailer fully loaded. S4 came up with some interesting music, a variation of Buffalo Bob and Michigan Man from Michigan Outdoors and with S3 as his guitar player stick player and serenaded us all afternoon. ALL. AFTERNOON.

Our two oldest were so tired from a sleepover they could hardly keep their eyes open. And then they were starving so they had to share a peanut butter sandwich and some cookies...which they devoured.

And I got to watch my husband chop and cut wood up and was amazed - again - at his immense strength.

But when we got home and our terrific neighbor T helped unload the wood again and I got dinner started I realized I couldn't feel my fingertips.

The next day, Sunday, I nodded off in church a bit.

I came home Sunday, served the family dinner, fell on our bed and slept for three solid hours.

Apparently, I am a wimp.

But I am a wimp that truly had a great time spending time with my family out in the woods.