Summer left with Eaddie for their hair appointments this morning. I thought they would be gone through the afternoon for a trip to the climbing gym, but they came back and loaded up the rest of the kids instead. Jesica was passing through from Dallas and wanted to get lunch, but I had already eaten some leftover pizza. She fussed that she doesn’t like any of the Chinese places in Fort Smith, so we went to Mulan’s where I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup for two bucks.
Afterward I made her tag along to Harbor Freight so I could pick up an axe to chop some firewood. A couple guys in the aisle spoke up to give me some advice and pointed me towards the axes with synthetic handles, but for the limited use it would see, we decided the big, red, wooden-handled fireman’s axe would be the coolest looking one to have hanging in the garage. We headed back to my house so Jesica could be on her way, and I loaded up as many logs as I could fit into my trunk.
I still had to run by Walmart for some s’mores materials and cilantro, and then it was off to Summer’s to prepare for our guests. I started by trying to chop some wood, and though my aim was true, I struggled to split the logs very evenly due to their age and having been partially eaten and weathered. Summer joined me outside to take out some of her own aggression, and ultimately we split the wooden handle and separated it from the head of the axe. After a bit of deliberation, I decided to run back by Harbor Freight for one of the previously suggested axes. They were closing early, but I was fortunate to have arrived five minutes before they did. Then I stopped by Walmart and ran all around looking for a decent lighter. I settled for a cheapo single pack from the garden center, then made my way back up to the house.
As though I’d found a calling from the wild, I split the remaining logs with the greatest of ease. Hair sprung from my chest and my voice dropped an octave, and we had firewood. Summer made a smorgasbord of pico de gallo, guacamole, ranch dip, deviled eggs, pigs in blankets, and a veggie tray while I took the lazy road with an Instant Pot of cheese dip, and we were ready to party. Ronda, Steven, and Maleea showed up while I was tending the coldest fire I’ve ever made. It didn’t get super hot until it was just coals at the end of the night.
Most everyone stayed inside since the fire wasn’t really hot enough to keep anybody warm. The girls watched some TV and played some Switch. Steven even got in on someĀ Mario Kart with us for a few rounds. They couldn’t make it to midnight though, and left with only 50 minutes to go. Autumn had already gone to bed. Eaddie stayed up watching TV, but as soon as we finished cleaning up, Summer was off to bed.
…AND MY AXE!