Cradle of Love

The simplest things make me so happy these days. A mug of hot coffee. Baby giggles. A maple tree clad in golden leaves. And firewood. Well-seasoned, cut-to-length, tightly stacked firewood.

Hubs has tried out a variety of firewood cradles since purchasing the property back in 2004. While they've all worked, each had a number of design issues. Until now.

He built this hefty cradle in an ideal location near the house (creating a shorter schlepping distance, YES!), with strong lumber and metal support braces to keep it from toppling over. Ever the artist, he gave it a dark wood stain and an eye-catching green roof so that we can actually enjoy looking out the kitchen window all winter long at our wood pile. The concrete blocks underneath provide an additional level of fortification. The wooden dowel running the length of the cradle will be used to hold up a tarp, for keeping out the moisture that accompanies winter snowstorms and spring rains.

This project, like any learn-as-you-go one, wasn't without it's fair share of snafus. Halfway through, Hubs realized he hadn't put down enough pressure-treated 4'x4's to provide a flat bottom for stacking the wood (apparently, he told me that, upon this discovery, he laid down in the driveway for a minute and almost cried). Never one to walk away from a challenge, he re-jiggered and tweaked the design until it achieved his ideal, both structurally and aesthetically.

There was a time when new nightclubs, fancy cocktails imbibed at said nightclubs, and dancing the night away with my fancy cocktail at the nightclub were the things that got me excited. Now, it's firewood, cradled with care in a lovingly built wood shed. I still dance, and sip, only now I do so in my flannel p.j.'s, surrounded by my fellas, enjoying the warmth offered by a glowing hearth and a content heart.

*If any of you locals need a great firewood supplier, let me know. I've got a guy....For those of you that have asked, here's the information:
-Fred Nelson.
-He's in Waynesville.
-$125 will get you a true, seasoned cord, delivered & stacked.
-828/456-4365 (H) or 828/400-3872 (C).
And, please, tell him I sent ya!!!