farmdoc's blog post number 181

Having lived in this Mole Creek house for nearly five years, I know how much firewood is burnt each year in the kitchen stove and wood heaters. Winter 2008 has brought several big trees down, so recently I’ve been filling the woodshed to heretofore new heights. Literally. Sometimes when stacking wood I listen to my iPod. And sometimes I just think – as I did last week when I realised some or all of the wood I was stacking will be burned by someone else. Who knows how many more years I’ll live in this house. A few, probably, all going well. And right now there’s more than a few years worth of wood in the shed. As I get older, my options narrow. Decades ago my possibilities seemed limitless. Even then I couldn’t have done everything – visited all countries, read all books etc – but it felt like I had the time if I had the motivation. Nowadays even if I had the motivation, I don’t have the time. But don’t pity me. I’m not seeking sympathy. I’m perfectly content with my lot. As the person who burns the wood I stacked last week should be perfectly content with it. Because by then it’ll be as dry as chips, so it’ll keep the house toasty warm, and bake yummy crusty bread and delicious moist chocolate cake.