Logger Life at 9,500 Feet

“Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it." ~Genesis 1:28

Since we're now living in the forest, cutting wood is mandatory. Not only for fuel, but just as importantly, to prevent fuel. Watching the wildfires in Colorado certainly gives me pause. Since we were gone for over a year, the woods tells the story of neglect. Dozens of dead falls litter the forest, fuel for a fire, both a warming wood stove type, contrarily a raging forest inferno.

So I cut wood. It takes me back to my youth cutting firewood, mostly with my father-in-law. There's nothing like the camaraderie of working together with a common goal. It's also basic: chop up the trees, burn them in the stove. And of course, the old adage of he who cuts wood gets warm twice.

I'm no yard person, just haven't found myself fiddling with the beds, weeding, pruning and making the place nice. Yet the woods around the cabin give the same feeling of reward as I clear out the dead wood. A nice big stack of firewood certainly helps the cabin ambiance too.

It reminds me of the story of a rural preacher who stopped to visit a local farmer. The preacher looked at the lush fields and said, "The Lord has truly blessed you by providing you with this farm." The farmer wiped his brow and replied, "You should have seen it when He had it to Himself."

Every time I've come up to the cabin in the past, I've been racked with guilt, as the intended projects lie fallow once again, as we never got up there often enough. That should change now, as I have time to tackle the trees day after day. However, since we'll be staying through the winter and consuming great quantities of wood,  I better get to chopping.