I have observed that girls, by their nature and talents, usually carry their duties out in the home and surrounding environs, involving themselves in pursuits that are rightly theirs to do. We enjoy this “women’s work” and find great solace in carrying out the duties given us, the duties such as preparing meals, beautifying the home, teaching children, pursing various handicraft skills, shopping for the home, ordering the days, and creating various things.
Most
females are not interested in taking part in “Men’s work,” things such
as mowing the lawn, building things, operating power equipment, shooting
guns, splitting wood,etc. However, I happen to believe that it is not
only beneficial for ladies to learn skills that are normally performed by
men, it is very enjoyable. For one thing, I found it makes
you appreciate and empathize with the work your brother or father or
husband toils through each week. Another, it is a wonderful change of
pace from our usual sphere of work.
This
past week I made good on a promise to do a bit of woodsplitting with my
brother. Remembering how much I enjoyed splitting wood as a child was
one of the motivations for this promise. It proved just as enjoyable as
it had been when I was young. We split the logs until our splitter ran
out of fuel, then he informed me that now I could pick up what logs I
could and place them near the splitter for the next workday. Sullivan then left
to do someother thing, and I began scouring for logs I could move. I
came upon four gigantic ones, each weighing at least 85 pounds apiece.
Thinking I couldn’t possibly move those, I walked on until I spotted the
sledgehammer and wedge sitting a few yards away. Immediately I was
intrigued. Mimicking what I had seen my brothers do, I placed the wedge
in a groove in the wood and started by hammering it gently with the
sledgehammer to keep it from falling over and then I started hammering in
earnest. After several hits from the sledgehammer, the wedge really
began sinking into the wood. Soon, across the stillness of the field, I
heard a crackling sound that was soft at first, but grew into a loud
symphony of crackling. Seeing the end was near and breathless with
delight at my success, I kept hammering furiously.Then, with a loud
THWACK the log split in half and splattered in the mud nearby. I was
hooked. I did the same to the 3 other logs, the last one taking the
longest to split since it was a hardwood log. At one point I was so
engrossed in my project I hardly even noticed several cars with their drivers
ogling me as they rode by. What I sight I must have been! Muddy all over,
red faced, wild hair, and wielding a sledgehammer with the
determinedness of a madwoman. I did not care in the least, for I was
having too much fun! After the logs were all split into a size I could
carry, I took them to the splitter one by one. It started to rain as
I was carrying the last log, and thus ended my day on the job.
