A Date With My Chainsaw

When the firewood stockpile is getting depleted and the temperatures are cold, I know what I get to do at every opportunity. I get to cut down and cut up dead trees. Today has left me pretty tired and sore although the cold crisp weather was beautiful.

No big issues today. My first victim was out in the open. As long as it didn't fall on me, I really didn't care which way it went. I cut if down before the gang was ready to start hauling the logs for splitting. After checking the forecast I decided to take down a couple more. The boys should have (they better have) the wood all rounded up before there is any more snow to bury my work.

Those two trees were a bit more dicey, so I had Sheldon spotting, in case things went wrong. They snagged a couple times on the surrounding trees but with a little wrestling they came down right where I wanted them. Fifty-one more pieces for the boys to haul. Better looking wood than the first one too. I expected significant rot on them, but there was almost none. We'll be nice and warm burning these.

Plenty more out there for us. One of the neighbouring lot owners gave me permission to take all the dead trees on his land (they're a bit of a fire hazard the way they are) and I can take anything in the whole area that is already on the ground. The key is having the right weather on my days off and the energy to process it all.

Much as I hate to admit it, I don't have the energy or strength I once had. A day of cutting that much tires me out without even having put in much time with my six pound splitting maul busting it all up into wood stove size pieces. Thankfully I can still terrorize the boys into hauling most of it for me.

It was a good day though. A couple of days like this each month and we should be just fine.