Had to take care of

[George-CT]

a serious problem yesterday. 2 oak tree's growing together had finally blocked the satellite view to the South West where my 119 bird sits at AZ 253 and EL 23.
Thats low on the horizon here so tree's become a factor. By taking these to tree's out you can see open sky again behind them. Dish loves it and I have back RFDTV, History Channel, and a few others.... Opened up a little sun light to the yard, more wood for next winter, red oak, my favorite mid winter fuel. Had to cut them high up as they had grown together yet were separate. Those can get you in trouble.... Not much excitement around here this weekend. My daughter and wife are in a parade this morning on the horses in Bolton Ct. Got a few more this afternoon and hope to make one of those parades. Nice 71 degrees here right now, perfect weather for most anything. Still in recovery mode so not doing to much. Just dropping the 2 tree's did me in....To much sitting, not enough moving will do that.

Wanted to also say Thanks to all you military folks, past, present and future. Without your efforts, much of the freedoms we enjoy today would not be available.

Salute.

George-CT

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

on your firewood supply for this winter. Everything looks so green up there. Kelley (Texas)

 

[Wayne in BC]

all that quality wood close by. I am starting to run short after 20 years of using the woodstove and what i have left is in a wet area with many bog holes and no way to get even a tractor in there if i had one. I spend much time cutting a quad trail through thick brambles and brush, then carrying the wood up to 100 ft to the quad trailer.

Rain for nearly two weeks now and it is shortening the drying time for the wood which i have cut into blocks but cannot get out yet due to the boggy ground. Splitting it where it lies is out as i cannot use the axe for long without having my back and both shoulders (wrecked rotator cuffs) screaming in pain. So you and i are kinda twins given our wore out carcasses

 

[George-CT]

I too have trails in to old dead stuff and take in the quad and wagon for those. Very rocky areas so I just navigate it with the quad...because of it, a lot of the old dead falls are up off the ground and nice and dry. Fact the bark is all gone and they are grey. Nice stuff, just hard to get at but we do it a little at a time. I gave up on my swampy area like you describe... Stuck the Cat D-4 in there once.
Got lucky and got it out but felt that was my one warning to stay out of there. I had thought of putting cable winch for it on the back and snaking them out but with all the easier stuff I can get I'd wait till I needed to. Good move there, looks like I will never have to....

I can sure relate to your sore back and shoulders. I had to give the axe a final resting place... Towards the end If I slammed into some hardwood that didn't go, about 4 times of that and could just about stand up. Once more and I was down on hands and knees. Lower back and mid... Thats when I went to the big gas wood splitter for starters to split up the big stuff and get it into manageable sizes.
Lately thats between 16" and 20 inches . I use the big stuff for the real cold days or when we are going to be gone for a long time.
I was still splitting the small stuff for those small hot fires that I like in the fall and spring, but even there, didn't take much for the back to sing out like yours. My son bought me an Electric DR splitter... I keep it indoors right by the stove. Best tool I ever got. Its 4 years old now, trouble free and I can make kindling wood in whatever thickness I want. Zero effort.... Believe me, I and my back thank him every time we are done using it. My daughter bought an electric one this past winter from Harbor Freight and she is very happy with it also. Real work saver. They work great as long as its straight grained stuff. The only thing I have to watch on it, is any time after December all the wood is frozen solid, and when it splits, it goes flying. Stuff really moves away from the wedge fast....
I bring in just enough frozen stuff to split and leave it outdoors by the cellar door. After bringing in a load of ants one year, that cured me of wood in the house unless its going in the stove in a short time.....

Wish you lived closer.... You could cut here for another 20 years no problem.... I've been doing it here going on 26 years and not much of a dent in it. Mostly l got all the junk off the forest floor. Had a lot of big old tree tops, all red oak left over from a big logging operation from back in the 50's... Stuff is so hard, that you see sparks fly off the bar and chain when cutting it. Still some out there but its another quad and wagon deal.... With Jane opening more old pastures I can get at it along the edges of the fields...

Right now, folks have started clearing land again for houses it seems, and you can get a big trailer load of logs, no limbs, just logs for $150 bucks delivered.... I load would do me for the winter I'm thinking. Guess I'm waiting until I can't walk to go that route...
Talk about not wanting to give up... I'm sure you know that all to well. My son Andy likes playing logger now and likes playing with all the equipment so thats a big help... I guess I'm afraid if I stop moving, well, to easy to become a couch potato. I can see it out there but fighting it all I can. I think most of us are work wise on this forum. None are slugs looking for a free ride, just looking fair chance to be part of it all... I see all on here with aging problems, but no quitters.... My kind of people....

George-CT

 

[Royal]

Mary will not split if for me

 

[Wayne in BC]

n/t

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

Are you still recovering from that ear infection thing ? Cripes.....that's been one nasty episode for you. Hope it passes quicker than it has thus far

 

[George-CT]

4 days its really gotten a lot better. No more ear pain, can sleep at night, only dizzy if I'm bending over for a bit and just stand up....I'm thinking I've finally gotten over it all. Fine with me, lost way to much daylight doing what needs to be done here in the spring time. I see many getting ready to cut hay all ready. Don't know how June got her so fast, but its here. Wacking weeds is a full time job around here also.... Horses do a good job but the more we open the more they leave stuff they used to take down like a golf course.... I have and old Bush Hog here and opened up a lot of old pasture. Still a lot of weeds and stuff in there that I have to keep beating down...... As long as I'm out doors, I'm happy....

George

 

[Micheal_R]

I kinda like larch... Burns hot and little ash. But were there oak up here, I would definitely use that.
Going to start our firewood collection later in June.

I already have a 2 year supply... but I like to be ahead.... just in case.

Calm seas

Micheal