September 23, 2009. Western Head N.S. Chores.

You can't help but notice them. Almost every house in Eastern Canada has one, and a large one too. It is a perfect example that to some extent, the climate of the area determines the character of the people. The stacked wood tells a lot about the people living in the home. Always impressive is the condition of the homes and gardens, but really catches attention is the stacking of the wood. Several cords of wood are stacked in perfect rows, spaced a few inches apart and in precise order. Now I don't know if you have ever stacked wood, but it is not an easy task. After two feet of stacking, the wood starts to fall over or begins to get wobbly, but the wood I see around her are as sturdy as the houses that have stood for hundreds of years. It is impressive.

Yesterday morning I did chores, which I like to do. I had my hair cut, made the bed in the carriage house, organized dinner and lunch and generally got the week ready for company. We already have Carol and Ken here, but they being family are easy. In the afternoon, Ken and Carol and Ken and I went in search of ice cream and found it at Port Medway. We drove the coast road and what I noticed most was the stacked wood. Almost every home had a large stack of wood all ready for the winter. I also noticed several large plies of wood, a very unusual sight, except when I looked closely I could see the beginnings of the stack. No one leaves that wood just left in the big pile of wood to be covered with ice and snow. Before the snow falls, every stick will be in order and accessible to the fire maker, just as it happened years ago. In the past, those folks who did not stack their wood got cold and froze to death, or moved to warmer climates. Now every where you look while driving on the shore road are stacked wood. It is very impressive.