Walmart curbside pickup on New Year’s Day? You betcha. Smudge and I had the roads almost all to ourselves early yesterday morning — we didn’t pass another vehicle for over five miles.
On the return trip, a group of eight whitetails crossed the county road in front of us.
It was a great time to be out and about. We were back at the cabin shortly after 9am.
I took my foot off the proverbial gas Thursday. My body and I needed a break. Four straight days of hard woodswork — one of them trailbuilding, three hauling and stacking, two splitting — wore my old ass out.
How’s the injured knee? Tolerable. Manageable. I understand that inflammation is part of the healing process. I make my choices and live my life accordingly.
Just as I did the last time I gave myself a day off, I devoted a little energy to my wood yard. Now that pallet #4 is full, for example, I covered it with a new (camo) tarp.
Next, I had to decide where to put pallet #5. Should I extend the stacks north? Or south? I chose the latter, even though it encroached on my splittin’ station, because it better exposes the seasoning wood to sun and prevailing winds.
I cleared a spot, raked it level and dropped a fresh pallet into place.
This one happens to be oversized, the second such skid currently in use in the yard. It’ll accommodate more firewood, so naturally it’ll take a little longer to fill.
I’m okay with that.
There was another motive for going south with the stacks — I wanted to create a larger, more efficient place to process wood. The first step was to move my chopping block to the far end of the yard, at the edge of the gravel turnaround.
Then I grabbed the fattest round from the unsplit pile and set it in the center of the north end of the yard — that’ll become the primary chopping block. Now that I’ve gone through my supply of “bought firewood,” that area is clear, and I’m shifting processing there.
Kindling, too. I’ll still have enough room for three or four more pallets without cramping my workstation.
I’m pretty thrilled about this. Feels just right.
And it gave me a way to be productive on an “off” day.
Some Ubi Libertas Blog readers are personal friends of mine and know me well. Most of you aren’t and don’t. That’s to be expected, of course.
For those who fall into the latter category, I want to illustrate just who you’re dealin’ with here.
Back on December 14th, I reported that my deerskin work gloves had worn out. I even included a picture. The next day, I said that I already had a brand-new spare pair to replace them.
I’m still wearing the holey ones.
All of that trailmaking and woodslinging you’ve read about for 19 days was done while wearing the tattered gloves. They’re in even worse shape now than they were last month.
I know I’m not the only one who wrings every possible ounce of utility out of stuff before retiring or discarding it. But there’s more to it than that.
I’m right-handed. The right glove is a mess, barely even a glove anymore. The left glove, on the other hand (sorry), is perfectly fine.
Now I have a question for you — would you throw out both gloves? Or would you pitch the right and save the left?
I’ll be keeping the left-hand glove. I’m that guy.
I mean, someday it might come in handy. (Sorry.)
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable