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  1. mtarbert Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 23, 2006
    505 posts
    Maryland
    Some people actually think the only reason we heat with wood is to save money. Poor souls, they miss so much of what is good in life.
    #1

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    swagler85, Shane N, jharkin and 4 others like this.
  2. NH_Wood Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 24, 2009
    2,244 posts
    southern NH
    Amen!
  3. pen Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2007
    6,075 posts
    N.E. Penna
    One of my favorites (bit longer than yours but good too) from Aldo Leopold:

    There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.

    To avoid the first danger, one should plant a garden, preferably where there is no grocer to confuse the issue.

    To avoid the second, he should lay a split of good oak on the andirons, preferably where there is no furnace, and let it warm his shins while a February blizzard tosses the trees outside. If one has cut, split, hauled, and piled his own good oak, and let his mind work the while, he will remember much about where the heat comes from, and with a wealth of detail denied to those who spend the week end in town astride a radiator.

    pen
  4. NH_Wood Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 24, 2009
    2,244 posts
    southern NH
    Love Aldo - nobody killed more critters while doing so much for conservation! Cheers!
    Mrs. Krabappel and pen like this.
  5. pen Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2007
    6,075 posts
    N.E. Penna
    Best summation of the man I've ever heard!
  6. Jack Straw Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 22, 2008
    2,013 posts
    Schoharie County, N Y
    I don't have any oak trees on my property<>
    pen likes this.
  7. pen Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2007
    6,075 posts
    N.E. Penna
    smartass ;lol
  8. dave_dj1 New Member

    joined: Feb 7, 2012
    21 posts
    Eastern NY
    How true!
    I used to love getting Mother Earth News, even though they were hand me downs.
  9. Thistle Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 16, 2010
    3,909 posts
    Central IA
    Reading Mother Earth News at grocery store one day during my sophomore year in high school.Seen an ad for the Sotz Monster Maul,thought it looked cool.Went home & dropped a couple hints to the parental units "that one of those might make my job splitting wood all that wood much easier" ;)

    They must've got the message because a couple weeks later around my birthday there was a skinny but very heavy cardboard box standing up on the front steps when I arrived home from school one afternoon....
    pen likes this.
  10. pen Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2007
    6,075 posts
    N.E. Penna
    Your chiropractor should send you and MotherEarthNews a Christmas card ;lol
    Thistle likes this.
  11. webbie Administrator

    joined: Nov 17, 2005
    10,940 posts
    Western Mass.
    Mother Earth News was my "playboy" when I was in my late teens, but that was only because Webwidow may not have taken too kindly to me subscribing to Hugh.
  12. Thistle Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 16, 2010
    3,909 posts
    Central IA
    Chiropractor? ;lol Never been to one.Though the heavy beast (20lbs now since reinforcing the original handle with a thicker piece of galvanized pipe) rarely gets used except on the absolute worst ones now.Since getting the X25 almost 2 yrs ago,that beast will sit in the shop for months at a time.

    If they're that tough its sledge/wedge time or I'll just break out the big Husky,nothing that wont dispatch in 45 seconds or less.I've used pretty much every manual splitting device out there in almost 35 years,some work great,others not as good.But they all have a place in my kit depending on what needs done for the job at hand.

    I have nothing to prove anymore,I work til I'm tired then take a break. Dont keep swinging just to see how much can be done in one day.There's always next day,week,whatever to finish it.
    Woody Stover and pen like this.
  13. pen Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2007
    6,075 posts
    N.E. Penna
    A buddy of mine has 500 acres. There's a few of us friends do our wood cutting splitting together there. Makes for a good time.

    A couple of years ago I was first to arrive on scene one day. Got to splitting as we had a ton of rounds ready from the night before when I got into one where I had both wedges and my 8lb maul buried in it. No other tools on me to help. The next bud to arrive would have seen a fire burning to get my tools back had he been 5 minutes later <> I was worked right up into a froth when he pulled in.

    That said, since that day, I have learned a lot about knowing when hard enough is hard enough.

    No chiropractor here either, just joking around.

    pen
  14. Hearth Mistress Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 24, 2012
    583 posts
    Point Pleasant, PA (SE PA)
    I love mother earth news! I flip through it as soon as I get it to read anything that jumps out at me. Then, I take my time and read it cover to cover. The February/March issue has articles about not only wood heat but info on GMO seeds that there is a thread about on here already. If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, subscribe, every issue is a great read!

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