:-)  Well, we knew how much they burned last year (the couple we bought the house from had left about 3 1/2 cords in the front yard.)  (and guess who carried it to the back yard!)  :)  Anyway, so I knew we needed at least that much.  Like I said, it wasn't long before I knew we had way more than that.  My son and I couldn't wait to put that last stick in the pile...then we got out the measuring tape and he calculated it on his iPhone. :)  And like I also said, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  lol

It was actually someone here who posted a link to a great site about firewood.  Perhaps it was you...I'm afraid I don't remember.  It was invaluable.  Through it, we realized we needed to get this wood split and stacked NOW instead of this fall (so it could dry longer.)  It also mentioned not tightly covering the pile with a tarp, like had been done when we bought the place.  Now we're waiting for the rain and snow to stop again so it can dry out and we'll either tarp it with the corners up off the ground (for airflow, like you said), or rig up some sort of white-trash roofing.  :)  Unfortunately, that's the only place we've got for it...my son would keep 3-4 days' worth on the front porch this winter, but that's all.  (I'm afraid he burned a lot of wet wood last year too. :(  )  So we'll have to rig up something to keep it dry next fall and winter. 

I'll have to check out your site soon.  Very interesting.  Thanks for the tips!