Work Done in 2019

[thewoodlands]

I think this year is going to be another good year for scoring ash. I have a large one to remove and my friends parents still have about 20 cord of trees dropped on their property that need cleaned up. I just need some time and dry weather.

So you're not hurting for work!

 

[heavy hammer]

No The problem I'm starting to have and I think it is a good problem is not enough room for the amount of wood I have. I have probable three plus years already split and stacked with close to one years worth in log length sitting up on some logs to keep it off the ground. I have not even taken any wood this year and it is looking to be another busy firewood year. But I look at it as money in the bank the more the better. I'll just stack the piles up a little taller with the tractor.

 

[thewoodlands]

No The problem I'm starting to have and I think it is a good problem is not enough room for the amount of wood I have. I have probable three plus years already split and stacked with close to one years worth in log length sitting up on some logs to keep it off the ground. I have not even taken any wood this year and it is looking to be another busy firewood year. But I look at it as money in the bank the more the better. I'll just stack the piles up a little taller with the tractor.

It sure is money in the bank. I have room for about 25 face cord of hardwood and another eight face cord of shoulder season wood.

 

[thewoodlands]

The sauce has been put together, brought to a quick boil and then turned down to a simmer. We'll start on the braciole about 12:30 or so, its smelling pretty good in the house.

 

[SpaceBus]

I have brought down about 30 small trees over the last few days making way for a new section of driveway that will some day lead to a barn/shop/garage.

 

[SpaceBus]

Since thewoodlands is posting cooking, here's tonight's dinner: beef stew sith local "rainbow" carrots, bone broth, an onion, and local gold potatoes with some herbs and spices. I forgot to get cabbage or Brussel sprouts at the store because I usually add that as well. I'm going to let this simmer for about three hours while I split some round I cut yesterday.

 

[thewoodlands]

I raked up three loads of leaves and pine needles today, this picture was taken heading to a wet area on the trail where I've been dumping.

 

[heavy hammer]

I'm hoping to get the tractor out this weekend to move some wood and possibly maybe even mow a little.

 

[thewoodlands]

I'm hoping to get the tractor out this weekend to move some wood and possibly maybe even mow a little.

It will be a few weeks if not more before we mow. I'll get back to stacking either tomorrow or Thursday.

 

[thewoodlands]

After seeing the forecast this morning, I decided that the wood I had covered for the outside fireplace for five years would finally get used for some inside heat. There's hemlock,white pine,cherry,beech and some sugar maple in the two loads we put in. Those green covers are from our first year burning firewood, I think that was the 2008 - 09 heating season.

Tomorrow will be in the 60's so before I come in from whatever I do outside, I'll get a better cover over some seasoned wood that we never did burn last fall.

 

[Woody Stover]

Since it will be raining tomorrow, I'll make some spaghetti sauce with some braciole using pork, the pic was pulled off the web.
View attachment 243479

Wow, a veggie burrito wrapped in meat. How could it possibly get any better than that??

 

[Woody Stover]

A little Pin Oak and Black Cherry but mostly American Elm (I think, haven't seen much.)
Tree man hauled it over from a job at a neighbor's house, and dumped it right at the stacking destination.

A dead standing Black Cherry I got over there, ready to go in the stove. Got some chips from the tree man, too.

The other day I saw a Red Elm that had blown over, then sent up sucker shoots, trying to survive. That thing was essentially alive, about 60' or so. I'm going to keep it...my Red Elm stash is about gone. It's not particularly long-burning wood (between Black Cherry and White Ash, I'd say) and some would say 'Don't waste your time." But I dunno...for some reason I have a bond with the Red Elm. I like the color, the bark, the small sapwood, the smell etc. I brought it up today before the rain started. This live, but doomed tree yielded 30% moisture wood. Really deep color. The normal dry color is almost a pink.



Saved a frog from a wheelbarrow. He seemed a bit sluggish..I thought maybe he was dried out so I sprinkled some water on him.

 

[SpaceBus]

What's the story with the snake? I've never seen such a bony snake.

 

[Woody Stover]

What's the story with the snake? I've never seen such a bony snake.

I red that they do that under stress, make their body into a series of short curves. I don't know if they are trying to "camo," and not look like a snake, or what? They also freeze unless you get too close, which makes getting pics easy.

 

[SpaceBus]

They do that under stress, make their body into a series of short curves. I don't know if they are trying to "camo," and not look like a snake, or what? They also freeze unless you get too close, which makes getting pics easy.

Initially it did look like a stick, so maybe it works!

 

[Woody Stover]

Initially it did look like a stick, so maybe it works!

Or maybe they are trying to look "bony," like they have no meat on them.

 

[heavy hammer]

I have been seeing a lot of snakes around lately, my daughter found a baby painted turtle in the yard the other day. I ended up splitting a barrel of kindling for the coming weekend the high Sunday is 49. I have still been having a fire at night to keep the house warm.

 

[thewoodlands]

Since it looks like we have some 20 degree nights coming in with rain tomorrow, I covered up some seasoned pine with two tarps so we can just burn until the weather gets warmer at night.

We still have wood inside from the two loads we put in the other day but if we need more wood, it will be dry.

 

[SpaceBus]

We had some very brief sunny periods today, and now back to overcast and raining. Nothing is dry and we've been without sun for over a week

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

I red that they do that under stress, make their body into a series of short curves. I don't know if they are trying to "camo," and not look like a snake, or what? They also freeze unless you get too close, which makes getting pics easy.

What kind of snake is it?

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

A little Pin Oak and Black Cherry but mostly American Elm (I think, haven't seen much.)
Tree man hauled it over from a job at a neighbor's house, and dumped it right at the stacking destination.
View attachment 243649
A dead standing Black Cherry I got over there, ready to go in the stove. Got some chips from the tree man, too.
View attachment 243651 View attachment 243652
The other day I saw a Red Elm that had blown over, then sent up sucker shoots, trying to survive. That thing was essentially alive, about 60' or so. I'm going to keep it...my Red Elm stash is about gone. It's not particularly long-burning wood (between Black Cherry and White Ash, I'd say) and some would say 'Don't waste your time." But I dunno...for some reason I have a bond with the Red Elm. I like the color, the bark, the small sapwood, the smell etc. I brought it up today before the rain started. This live, but doomed tree yielded 30% moisture wood. Really deep color. The normal dry color is almost a pink.
View attachment 243667 View attachment 243668
View attachment 243654 View attachment 243655 View attachment 243656

Saved a frog from a wheelbarrow. He seemed a bit sluggish..I thought maybe he was dried out so I sprinkled some water on him.
View attachment 243660View attachment 243658

What are you using the wood chips for?

 

[Woody Stover]

What kind of snake is it?

Pretty sure it's a Black Rat Snake...or a Gray.
Several years back, there was one with his head in one of our bluebird houses...mom and dad bird were screaming bloody murder. I grabbed him by the arse, twirled him around my head a couple times like a lasso, then flung him into the weeds about 40' away.

What are you using the wood chips for?

My sentient wife is mulching all kinds of paths and areas near the house and with them. I'm going to take a few quad-trailer loads over to my BIL's, and cover an area where he will be splitting and stacking. I'll also put some on some quad trails close to the house, which get a lot of traffic.

 

[thewoodlands]

It looks like it won't be raining tomorrow so I plan on felling some ash, I'll start with the one in the back right in this older picture.

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm taking a break right now. I cut down several limbs and fed them to the new Wallenstein.

 

[Woody Stover]

I plan on felling some ash,

I've gotten most of the Red Elm I could find lying around, so that will be my next move as well...start grabbing dead Ash and hope some of it is already dry enough to finish over the summer.