Cold today -- 27 at 7:00 a.m. and warming only to a high of 37 at 2:30. Mike and I pooled our battery resources and searched drawers until we came up with enough batteries to get the electronic weather station going. Despite the cold, it was a beautiful, sunny day, and the sun shining in the south window was nice and warm. We could have snow in the next day or two, says the weatherman. And we're bracing for the cold forecast for next week -- lows in the teens, highs in the 20s.
Yesterday, after we cleaned tree debris out of the yard, Mike took his rifle and went out for his evening "hike." Heading past the pond and down the gully called Stove Creek, past the plum trees, he came to a fairly large pine tree lying in the field, blown down in the storm. [Inquiring minds will want to know that the trees are down just where Stove Creek heads into Little Canyon.] This area is within a half mile of the farm yard."We can at least get the limb wood," Mike said, "and we need to take care of it now." He explained that pine turns blue if not protected, and that does something to its heat value.
Oh boy -- get more wood. But I agreed to help and this morning about 10:00 we hooked the little trailer to the 4-wheeler and with Nellie running alongside we headed to the tree. Mike commenced to make firewood of the limbs. First I took pictures and then I hauled slash out of the field and loaded the wood onto the trailer. Sounds easy, doesn't it? We were busy for the next two hours, and Nellie stayed right with us. By lunchtime we had a trailer full and I thought it best to walk back to the house due to the heavy load. As it was the trailer tipped on the hill and spilled its load -- all of it. We had to re-load -- this time putting more weight on the front of the trailer.e
Nellie ran along with the 4-wheeler, but when she got to the farm yard, she missed me. So she ran back and waited for me on the hill below the pond. Would she have reported to Mike if I'd been in distress? I wonder . . .After lunch Mike went back and cut the trunk into firewood lengths. He also cut and stacked more limb wood. The work is done with the exception of picking up the wood for storage. We're short on space in the woodshed right now until Mike finishes clearing and re-arranging.
[The first picture looks in a northerly direction. The second is from the same spot looking to the south. The third looks into Little Canyon; this spot was a favorite view of the Dobson family. And lastly, you can see the broken snag in the middle of the picture.] KW
4 comments:
I'm still not totally sure where that tree was down. I'm unfamiliar with this "Stove Creek". I'm guessing this was in the north field?
No, it's south of the farm yard. You remember where the plum trees are, don't you? You helped Ginny and me carry the plums. You go past the pond down the steep the hill, and Uncle Chuck says the gully was called Stove Creek. By the time you get to the plum trees, you can see the downed tree ahead.
Boy are you a good sport!! At our house, Dan is the wood man. Totally and completely. I'm not telling him you help Mike!!
Cold here, too, even with the sun. We're having our friends Will and Briana over for supper, so I'm cooking today, and Dan is over helping Eric with the remodeling.
Hi Chris! I don't know that I'm such a good sport. When Mike brings wood from the woods, I don't go and I don't help stack it either. But here, I feel a certain obligation to help with the management of the place. Besides, I like to get out of the house.
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