One More Turn, Boys (Long)

Dec 8, 2018, 10:02 PM

Winters in North Central Florida did produce some cold days but never for a prolonged period. At least, that's how it was during the 1920's and '30's. Air conditioning was unheard of and no one had central heating. We didn't even know insulation had been invented. Most houses were built about three to four feet above ground so when it was cold, the entire house was surrounded by cold air.

All houses had at least one fireplace and the larger houses had two or more, depending on the size of the house. An open fireplace is one of the most inefficient inventions of all time, particularly those in houses of that era. When standing near an open fireplace, a person is roasting on one side and freezing on the other. A wood burning stove was the best alternative. Kerosene space heaters of various sizes were also used to supplement the heat provided by the wood burning heaters.

In addition to the kerosene stove in the kitchen, we had a wood fired stove. During the winter my Mother would sometimes use this stove but most of the time it was used just to provide heat.It was probably the warmest room in the houzse and a favorite place for the family to gather before we sat down in the dining room. The aroma of bacon and other foods and the heat from that wood burning stove was heaven on earth.

A wood buring heater and stove required a lot of wood and my Dad always had a plentiful supply in the wood shed. My older brother and I were responsible for keeping the wood boxes filled plus a generous supply of kindling. One of our other tasks was to remove the ashes. We had two wood boxes, one in the family room and one in the kitchen, They were fancy boxes with cushioned lids. This was one of my favorite spots for sitting. It my brother and I perfortmed our duties satisfactorally, we were allowed to place our feet under the dining room table.

My Dad was the one who started the fires each morning. There was always part of yesterday's newspaper, kindling from a long leaf yellow pine stump saturated with reson and so tough no termine was able to take a bite and a wood box filled with wood. My Dad would check the wood box and if was not filled to his expectatione, we heard those familar words, "one more turn, boys".

I don't know how many times my brother and I heard those words, "one more turn, boys". We wondered how many more years we would be making one more turn to the woodshed. Well, the time finally came when our Father passed away. We didn't hear the words, but we still took one more turn to keep the wood boxes filled. Sometime later we both remarked, in our later life we would never have a wood burning stove or fireplace.

Now, fast forward to 1963. My wife and I bought a house in Clemson. It was a two story house with a fireplace on the first floor and another fireplace in the basement den. We decided we would never build a fire in the fireplace on the first floor because of the trash and ashes involved. We had AC and central heating so there was no need for a fireplace. But there is someing about an open fire in a fireplace that creates a feeling that's hard to describe, So, I bought a load of wood and on a cold day during our first winter in the house, we built our first fire. There I was, making one more turn, something I swore I would never do again.

Oh, what a beautiful blaze. Our two daughters were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace and my wife and I were sitting on a sofa behind them. uddenly I realized I could not see the entire blaze because of where the girls were sitting. I asked them to move to the side so I could have a clear view of the blaze. Ah, what a beautiful sight !!!

My Dad wasn't there to lell me "one more turn, Joe". It was now my self-imposed responsibility.

Message was edited by: Joe21®

Message was edited by: Joe21®

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Joe -
I am a mere child of 63 and from the time I was in high school until I had married and moved away from the comforts of home, I cut and sold firewood to buy Christmas presents for those I cared the most for.

The grunt work of cutting, stacking, filling wood boxes, toting ashes was always done out of love for those that enjoyed the glowing, crackling warmth of an open fire. Magical moments when dreams came true and loved ones held each other close. We learned, by example, how to properly hug each other goodnight. It is done in such a way that we all knew we were loved, we were dear to each other, we were treasured by each other.

Oh how I'd love to make one more turn for the mother and father that raised me so well and for the sister I grew to love more every day she fought to stay with us. "One more turn" is such a gift to be given to those we love.

Spud -
No truer words have ever been uttered. The things we cherish most in this life will at some point end and we won't even know it until afterwards.

Gentlemen, I thank my Creator for the opportunities to remember the blessings that have passed unnoticed. I thank Him for those that cause me to remember. Tonight, I thank him for you both for being His agents in my life.

One More Turn, Boys (Long)

Joe, I am only 60. But, I tell a lot of my younger clients

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