200 years of lumber

Whether you buy local or big box, lumber these days comes dimensioned: square edged, more or less straight, sized at 2×4, x6, x8, x10 or x12.

Not so 200 years ago.  Then, you tied up your boots, heaved an axe upon your shoulder and went to the woods.  What came out worked fine, and bespoke the mood of the maker and tree, a moment captured in time.

Our house, gutted and opened to the gills, tells stories of days of yore.  While my smart phone buzzes with emails and missives, it is worth pausing to reflect, perhaps to burn sage, and give thanks for an old house stout and sturdy.