Sentence:  [W]e simply sit in silence and let the day's events roll around the room like farts in a school cafeteria. Dad breaks the spell when he gets up to retrieve his wood and starts <WSD>gouging</WSD> it for all he's worth. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To make a groove, hole, or mark in by scooping with or as if with a gouge.