I may need marriage counseling after this morning...

[Seasoned Oak]

My wife will help with just about anything i ask of her. I just dont ask for help with this kind of work. She did once help me unload a truck load of rice coal though. Right now she is helping me remodel a house as are,our 2 kids 12 and 14
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[mountain man 2]

Lately....I have been doing all the splitting n stacking myself.....when she's not cleanin the house or working....she's always there!

 

[St. Coemgen]

If someone volunteers, IMHO, they do not get to complain. But they can also leave anytime they want. Of course, due to human nature, miserable volunteers often still won't leave, because then they fear they will be called a "quitter", and instead want to whine and complain until they are told to leave --- which then makes it your fault, not theirs. A no-win situation for you. Volunteers can actually be more problem then they are worth.

Needing to stack a few tons of wood, my wife said she wanted to help. After I had stacked about half alone, she was leaving to see some family, when I asked her to come over. I pointed to a piece of (small) wood and asked her to put it on the pile. She did. I gave her a hug and a kiss and said "Thanks, sweetheart, for helping stack the wood." She went off happy (she kept her promise to help) and I was happy as there was no silly old marital "but you promised" argument. Yes, I have been married awhile. You learn these things.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Several years ago, I was splitting some big rounds on a rented horizontal splitter. Since it was rented, I was trying to get as much done in the time I had, and was just dog tired. Toward the end, I had a couple of large rounds left that I just didn't want to noodle, so I asked my wife to help lift them with me. We picked one up and started take the couple steps toward the splitter. She said she was losing her grip, so I said ok, just drop it. Well, I dropped my end, but she held on and smashed her finger between the log and ground. After that emergency room visit, she basically hasn't touch any wood since then. Wouldn't help cut, split, stack, heck, she wouldn't even load the wood stove unless I was out of town!

I kinda got on her case about it this spring, basically demanded come help if she wants the house warm this winter. Since I now own my own splitter, I work in small batches, If I have 2 hours, I cut only what I think I can split and stack in that time. She could at least help stack wood after it was split. So she finally came out, and offered to run the log splitter for me...I was surprised she wanted to split....until I found out all she wanted to do was work the lever...I'd still need to put the round up there and position it for each split. I just lost it on her...thank goodness I didn't have the saw in hand or I might been on the evening news! It took a long follow up conversation about sharing the work load to get back to our state of marital bliss....