The Axe Was Heavier Than I Expected

I bought a splitting axe in October. It sat in the barn for four months before I used it properly. Not because I forgot — because I kept ordering firewood instead.

When I finally split a cord myself, the first thing I noticed was how much I didn't know. Which way the grain runs. Where to aim. That you don't chop — you drop. A forty-five-year-old man, and I had never learned this. There had never been a reason to.