Tuesday overnight into Wednesday morning, it seems I judged the heating scheme exactly right — how much to load into the firebox, the setting of dampers, timing, everything. It was quite comfy in the cabin when we rolled out of bed.
Smudge, in her own way, is figuring things out, too. She’s made the connection between affectionate snuggling and staying warm. Not only does she have a great companion, she’s learned, he’s also a source of body heat.
I love mornings with this dog.
You might deduce from the title of today’s post that after Tuesday’s “recovery,” I went back to working yesterday. You’d be right. The break did me good.
The east slope beckoned — I have to get that oak out of the woods and up to the yard. And the longer I thought about it, the more certain I was that skidding it straight out to the road isn’t my best option.
I had it right the first time, in January, when I spent a day plotting and flagging a longer Ranger trail to the spot.
I spent most of my Wednesday morning beginning to clear that trail. Using loppers and chainsaw, I removed deadfall, seedlings, saplings, small trees and damnable greenbrier from the path I’d previously marked with yellow flagging tape. Wherever I could, I got loose rocks out of the way.
One of the trees I dropped, a 40-foot hickory, was eight or nine inches at the base; everything else I cleared was wrist-sized or smaller. Naturally, I set aside whatever I can process later for firewood.
The trail itself is anything but a straight line. It bends and dips to skirt rock outcrops and large, mature trees I don’t want to take down.
I didn’t finish yesterday, but I managed to advance a hundred yards or so. That put me within 50 yards of my target. I should be able to knock it out the next time I come back to it.
Today? Probably not. The forecast is for morning rain and stiff wind. Friday, possibly. I’d like to get it done sooner rather than later.
I stopped when I did Wednesday to save some energy for the regular, necessary chore of moving wood up to the cabin. When I let the fire go out yesterday, only three stove lengths remained on the indoor rack. It was time.
It’s worth noting that I originally marked the trail to the east slope on January 31st of this year. That was a Friday. Just three days later, on Monday, my life would change forever — the dogs and I were left alone on The Mountain.
In the weeks leading up to that day, I’d been busting my ass to bring in firewood for heating the cabin (then still unoccupied) this winter and beyond. I was told that my work was “lumberjack stuff.”
It wasn’t a compliment.
The difference now, after almost 11 months, is that there’s a clear, uninterrupted and intensely personal connection between labor and reward. Much of the time, the two are one and the same. There’s no upset, no complaint, no second-guessing — just the embracing of work, joyfully.
These are the best days of my life.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable