Traveling the subdivision road before 8am today, Deb reported seeing two whitetails, both does, and three wild turkeys, a tom and two hens (not pictured). The pasture where she spotted the wildlife is a third of a mile down The Mountain from our Home.
At that moment, I was considering spring’s arrival on the slope behind the cabin. This, as you’ll recall, was where most of the excavation took place — scraped and plowed and dug up, buried in clay, then literally hammered to pieces by heavy equipment. Today it’s showing its resilience.
That rough patch of ground is greening. Wildflowers are in bloom. And, to my surprise, patches of grass are popping up.
It’s cause for optimism. It’s a reminder that The Mountain always has the last word. This spring is more than a new beginning — it’s another chapter in a story that began before I arrived and will continue long after I’m gone.
Right here and now, I want to confess to having totally abused our DeWalt 20V electric chainsaw. We bought it originally for Deb to use, but for almost two years I’ve been the one thrashing it, asking more of that 12-inch bar than it ever was designed to do.
It’s never whimpered. It’s always performed. It’s exceeded my expectations by a mile.
And that DeWalt, like our other chainsaws, doesn’t get the regular maintenance it deserves. This morning I set aside some time to remedy that. I backed my workbench (the Silverado’s tailgate) down to the shed and got to work.
Under the side cover I found the expected wad of chips and shavings and twigs, soaked in bar oil. For the most part, that junk clears itself in use, never going away completely but only rarely becoming a problem. I scraped it clean, wiped down the case with a rag and made sure that the oil gallery was clear.
I treated the little DeWalt to a new chain, flipping the bar before installing and adjusting it. Next time out it’ll be like running a brand-new saw.
It only made sense to give our other two chainsaws a once-over. First up was my trusty Stihl MS 180 — remove accumulated debris, check the air filter, flip the bar and sharpen the chain. Our DeWalt 20V pole saw didn’t demand as much attention, needing only to be de-gunked and the chain adjusted.
Finally, I pulled out our Stihl brush cutter and swapped its four-lobe OEM grass blade for a more useful toothed saw blade. When I started it up to check my work (direction of rotation, balance of the blade), it refused to idle. I’d been through that once before with this motor, requiring a trip to Miller’s Saw Shop and a new fuel filter, and I didn’t want to go through that again.
Eventually I decided to dump the fuel from the tank, start the engine and (with much coaxing) let it run out of gas.
I re-filled the tank half-way with fresh pre-mix and started it again. Five minutes later it was purring, idling smoothly and responding to the throttle. Our balky brush cutter is back in the game.
Over the winter months I’d started and run this tool regularly, hoping to avoid problems. Now it looks like the best thing to do is drain the fuel and run it dry in the fall. I’ve never had to do that with a Stihl, but it’s what this one seems to need.
None of these saws will see duty ’til the weekend, at the earliest. It felt good to get them in shape, though, and it was the right thing to do.
After a few sparkling days in the 70s and low 80s, tomorrow will bring storms to The Mountain. Word is that it could be a bumpy 24 hours. Stay tuned.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB