Chopping, Splitting and Stacking…
It’s that time of the year again! The leaves here in New England are changing and starting to fall.......replacing the green grass with a potpourri of orange, yellow and red colors! The mornings are darker and much cooler/colder than just a few short weeks ago. The daylight is shorter as the sun quickly sets around 6pm now, (and even earlier as the days goes on) and I begin to recognize that familiar nip in the evening air with the smell of crisp leaves and wood stoves warming homes all around me.…..yes, it’s autumn in New England!
When I was a young girl, the fall meant that my brother and I would only have a short time to play outside before it got dark. Fall also meant that Mom would make lots of goodies because it was the perfect time of the year for homemade cinnamon rolls, warm tapioca and pumpkin cookies. Fall also included visits from my Pappy, which around this time of the year was not so welcoming. You see, around this time of the year, Pappy would bring us truckloads of wood to be spilt. I can still remember coming home from school and seeing his old, green Dodge truck in the driveway—empty of course—because he had just left the huge pile of timber in the backyard. As I walked in, I pretended to be happy about what lay outside just feet away from where I was standing. I would give him a hug and he would say “I brought you something…” and I would say “yup….thanks Pappy".
Things have changed a bit….Pappy is no longer here to bring me wood, but boy I wish he was here because I have so many questions for him about his homesteading with my Nana. If they could see me now, they would be so proud to know that I have followed in their footsteps; I even got married on the same day they got married! I am so thankful that God has made me a person who loves and appreciates the outdoors just like Nana and Pappy. I also enjoy and find so much satisfaction in doing things the old fashioned way especially when it comes to preparing food for my Hunnee (husband) and me. God is also showing me how to live simply and to focus on what is truly important. Like Colossians 3:2 says “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” As one friend said to me (thank you Brenda), homesteading is not about being self-reliant, it’s about being reliant on God to help us be sustainable! Amen!
Here is a picture of my Nana & Pappy on their homestead!
So this past weekend my Hunnee and I were making memories of our---chopping, splitting and stacking wood! Preparing fire wood is a back breaking job, but words cannot express how I feel when I look back and see the work accomplished. For my Hunnee and myself, there is nothing more relaxing than enjoying the fruits of our labor on a cold, snowy, winters evening with the wood stove roaring…not to mention how relaxing the smell of wood slowly burning is!
Here is our wood pile!
My Hunnee & father-in-law splitting wood....
JT decided to sit this one out.....
The backyard trees are starting to change colors!
Do you have any fall memories to share?
Take some time this fall season to get outside and enjoy all the beauty that God has given us! Pack a picnic basket with some goodies and go have a picnic in the leaves! Enjoy!
