Page 60 of Not Looking
He shrugged. “Sure.”
We strode over, and the closer I got, the more telltale signs I spotted that told me he was right. There was a slight bulge at the base of the tree that wasn’t evident at a distance, and I soon spotted mushrooms growing from the trunk.
I paused beside the tree and kicked it. The dull thud that sounded was the last piece of confirmation. The final destination for that wood would be to heat Randy’s cabin.
I chuckled. “I should have trusted you.”
I could hear the shrug in his voice, though I wasn’t facing him. “It’s your first time here. If you work at the mill long enough, you’ll get used to recognizing what I send off and what I deal with on my own.”
I turned and smiled at him. “Mind pointing out trees you won’t be sending to us, and tell me why? If it’s not obvious, I mean.”
“You sure you have the time for that?”
I nodded. “I expected to be here for the rest of the afternoon, and I’m in my own truck. So I don’t need to rush back before they close.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind. Do you want to see all the trees I’m taking down, or just the ones in our path?”
“I think… a few examples. If there’s a good one out of the way, maybe, but otherwise close to the path.”
His gaze dropped to the ground while he stroked his beard. After several seconds, he nodded to himself.
“Figured out which ones you want to show me?”
He smiled and nodded. “Yep.”
I grinned. “Lead the way.”
He motioned, and I fell in beside him. Russy ran slightly ahead of us, nose to the ground and ears perked.
My mind wandered as we walked. It was so peaceful there in the woods, and I wondered what it would be like to stroll casually with Randy as my mate.
“Here’s the next one I’m sending off,” he said as we reached another marked tree.
I looked up at it. From the outside, it was fairly unremarkable, and not a wood most people looked for. “Mind telling me what’s worth sending this one off for?”
He smirked and pointed out a small borehole in the side of the tree. Though it had faded, there were tell-tale signs of flaming in the wood.
I chuckled. “You know it costs extra to protect that through the drying, right?”
He laughed. “I know. But it’ll be worth it. This tree has a good diameter all the way up, and if the flaming holds, then I’ll get plenty of boards from it.”
I studied the bark and the way the tree held itself. “Probably a good chance.”
I measured the tree, then Randy pointed at another not far away. “That one is another for my firewood pile.”
“Ok. Why?”
He let out a single laugh. “It’s boring. It grew tall and straight… and lived an easy life for a tree.”
I laughed. “If you could call this the easy life.”
He shrugged. “Like you said, not a popular wood. There won’t be any standout features if I make something from it. There might be a crotch or two once it comes down, but I kind of doubt it. The shapes don’t look appealing from here. But it’ll keep the cabin warm during the spring and fall when I need something that burns fast.”
“Living the easy life… to go out in flames.”
He burst into laughter. “I guess so. But what a way to go.”
We continued on. Randy pointed out a crooked tree that had a good trunk diameter, but wouldn’t have been able to get as much as a four-foot straight board from it. He explained that the twisting would give him some great bowls.
