Winter, bring it on!

I left the wood order a bit late. Usually I order it in August, when the ground is dry. We had some surprising rainfall the first few days of September. Ah well.

I cleverly asked them to dump it in two places, after getting wood in for nearly 9 years! I cannot stack all of the two bush cords behind the house, but it would be preferable. I love the exercise, though, deep in winter: going out to the shed to haul wood on the sled.

Wednesday, Sept. 4th

He arrived at 8 a.m., bless his heart.


This is pile #1. You can see #2 in front of the shed.


I took it about an hour at a time, lots of breaks over 6 hours. JB kindly went into town and brought me home a Subway sandwich for lunch. I took a good break, watched a bit of tennis with him, and went back to it.  TA DA! The first bush cord is done. 


Apparently, the cats cleaned up the remaining debris (above) when I was at my client's house on Thursday!

Friday, Sept. 6th

 I'd taken Thursday off, and I'd best get going before the rain arrived. I knew storms were on their way. We ended up with 16 mm!


A 'friend' on Facebook said I should just get a propane insert, but that's a conversion and spending money bests saved for other projects. Besides, JB and his cats love the fire in winter.


Out I went after breakfast. I had a bit of a delay. A baby robin had been closed up in the garage. I usually leave the door open a litte, to let Hooper get in and look for mice friends. Instead, I found the robin locked in. Hooper was at the window of the shed, the robin banging on the window to get out. Her parents were out yelling at us all.

Running to grab her, the parents led Hooper away. Then Annabelle turned up. I grabbed Annie, tried to grab Hooper and they both scratched me. There was yelling and swearing involved. JB brought both cats in.




The shed takes half of it.


Finally, I got down to it. Cameras, gloves, water. I shed my coat, as I'd I worked up a sweat.


You know the best part? That shower afterwards. I was too tired to get into the tub. You know you've done a good day's work when you have debris in your sport bra! Following my shower, an ice pack on my foot!

I iced my foot

Saturday, Sept. 7th

I'd left the last until Saturday morning. I didn't want to push it, what with my foot and back issues.

As I removed the tarp, I drenched my shoe. Yuck! We had 16 mm overnight. Mind you, the dew was on everything until the day warmed up.

JB went out to get me some finger bandages. This is where Hooper and Annabelle scratched me. Then, I was getting boils on my wrist. It felt like poison ivy. Putting on my ointment for that, it was feeling better.
I whittled away at it Saturday, Stopping by 2 p.m. It's such good exercise.

No helpers, thanks to the bird incident. Daisy loved to help with the wood. I thought about her all day.



I went in, happy to put my feet up. My 'tennis elbow' has been acting up, as well as bruising on my left arm from the wood. It was too warm to wear long sleeves.

Then put on my brace

Speaking on tennis: we had a great time watching our Bianca Andreescu win at tennis. #SheTheNorth

"I know you guys wanted Serena to win....I’m sorry.”

She was amazing.
I went outdoors, after the rain passed, and spotted a rainbow. I cooked us some t-bone. The day was done.

This morning there are 500,000 people without power in Atlantic Canada, thanks to hurricane Dorian.  They had over 135 mm of rain. There is a massive clean-up. What havok all along its path.

Oot and aboot

The weather's been wacky. I know I've said that.

The wetland is VERY wet. The water level is very high. It keeps freezing and thawing. We should have a lovely blanket of snow, protecting the land.


After my walk, Hooper, JB and I stacked some wood. I've figured out it is easier to send it through the window to hubby. JB then puts the wood inside beside the fireplace, where he and the cats have been watching curling.





Hooper was a good little supervisor. He's been going outdoors a bit. He is very fast, and scoots out the door. He knows there are mice in the garage, and tends to come in that door.

Hooper March from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

And our family friend, Beryl. She's an actor who worked with our son back in the day. She's on a TV ad, which is being shown a lot during hubby's curling!

Beryl visited us in Bala!

Time to move some wood

It's an annual thing for many of us rural residents. This year, I decided I ought to move last year's leftovers to the back of the house and stack the 'new' stuff in the shed. Sadly, I realized I had gotten down to the old stuff from 2015. I only figured out last year that I could use a fat marker to date a pile.

Day 1 – Saturday

This is the old wood in the shed. Some from 2016 and the bottom layers from 2015.



 I found some catnip growing where I stack the wood. I gave each cat a whole plant. Annie was so silly, she rolled over, towards the others. I knew it would go wrong!


I gave the three cats a whole catnip plant each. You can see them growing joyously beside the wood pile. Daisy walked away from her plant to share Dorah's on the lower deck. She was able to share with Dorah, but she didn't like Annabelle coming on over!

As someone commented on Twitter, it's not so much catnip as cat slap!

 I gave the three cats a whole catnip plant each. Daisy was able to share with Dorah, but she didn't like Annabelle coming on over!
I gave the three cats a whole catnip plant each. Daisy was able to share with Dorah, but she didn't like Annabelle coming on over!

Hubby finished all his chores (kitchen, dishes!), then he did groceries, and errands. His back precludes lifting firewood, so that falls to me. He brought me some water, as I was getting dehydrated. He offered to bring dinner in, but I made a chicken/turkey meatloaf. All was good.

Day 2

Sunday, a bit achy in my arms and back, I planned ahead with camera, water, and a sleeveless shrit, once things warmed up. Daisy was a helper for awhile, until I revved up the lawn tractor!!!!
If anyone can teach me how to back up the tractor, with the trailer on it, I'd be grateful!
I managed to store the rest of the old stuff behind the house, ready to use. The new stuff will go into the shed.


Lots of 'helpers', like a leopard frog I nearly ran over. It jumped right into the spot where I was going to stack wood. Then there was a millipede or two, beetles, and a huge dock spider. I had to stop and smell the hibiscus, too!


Annabelle assisted during a water bottle refill!


It ended up in the trailer!

I did 50 minutes Saturday, took a break, then went back at it. I quit around 3 to have a wonderful shower! Phase one is done.

It was good prep for the two full cords I have ordered.

Stacking our wood

My poor purple toe!

I wouldn't have thought it so tough this year.  Clearly, it is best to just chip away at it. You can cut a job in half if you have helpers. I couldn't kindle much interest the first hour, felines were napping. I just keep lumbering on every day. Later, I sawed the cats coming in to help.

OK, 'nuff! Did you get them all?!

It would have been easier, except the first day I had to haul out the kindling from our downed summer trees (older wood), and take them out to make room. I spent a goodly amount of time stick handling. Sticky pine branches!

The day before the wood arrived, I tripped. My sprained toe is healing, and socks and running shoes
are required.

Delivery Thursday, Sept. 8th

Working Day 1 Sunday,  Sept. 11th

We took off Friday, Sept. 9th for a day trip. [Day trip to Golden Lake & Barry's Bay #1] 
It was a fine day, and one that should have been enjoyed. Saturday, still sore, was the day we released the rehab raccoons. [Raccoon Release in the forest]

The next day, I went at it. I spent an hour stacking, after my 30-minute morning TV workout, had lunch, and then worked a couple of hours in the afternoon. It was a good way to pace myself. Finally Daisy came to supervise. in the first photo she was at the garden. Then, she decided to explore the pile.

Later, after Daisy was bored, Annabelle came to supervise. She was more of a distraction. She thought the sumac tree was a great place to be. She camouflages well on the wood (see her in the back of the shed?), and in the sumac tree.

An excellent work day. You know you've worked hard when you find debris in your sports bra! The shower, afterwards, felt so good.

Day 2 Monday, Sept. 12th

The second day, I started off preparing the pile behind the house. Hauling off the debris and equipment, then removing the tarp from the remainder of last year's wood. Next, using the log splitter, I split a few of last year's pieces that were too wet to split. I had limited success, even with a 6 ton splitter. That elm is dead hard. I gave up with a few pieces.

Then, I hauled a box of wood from the shed into the basement, where our fireplace is, and out popped a field mouse. It must be somewhere down there. Poor thing was a surprised as I was!

Next, put the splitter back in the garage. (That sucker is heavy.) Then haul out the tractor, clean off the dried grass. The trailer tires needed help. One was totally flat. Then, my first pile of the wood. I didn't really accomplish anything much. Time for lunch!



 Hubby cannot lift the wood, but he can rake the bark and debris! He was a big help. Then, he swept out the shed interior, as chipmunk has been helping herself to the bird seed and making a mess.

In the afternoon, I had my client and happily took off to sit with her. While I was gone hubby did some more raking and tarped the rest of the pile. 

Hubby phoned Bob, who asked if we could bring the tires into his shop. Not really. I don't even know how to get them off!

Day 3 Wednesday

Things didn't go well on day 3. I'd forgotten about the preciously flat tire, which required pumping up the day before, and it seemed to give up the ghost. I couldn't pump it up at all. Then, the tire on the heavy wheelbarrow, gave up, too. It was so frustrating. I don't know how to fix either one. I don't know if the tire pump is busted, or the tire. I had to prop up the wheelbarrow and transfer it to the other wheelbarrow. Dorah came by for a look see. She was totally bored.

I tarped the pile late morning, as it began to rain.


Annabelle was no help. She slept indoors, since I was running the tractor. Here she is through the window, into the basement.

First thing, though, Bob came and hauled away my wheelbarrow and tractor trailer. He has the equipment to pump up the wheels. He is really good at fixing things. He has tools!



This was a bit of fun. A break during my next run at it, as Daisy decided to check things out.
Hubby went into town to pick up the 2017 calendars I'd made. Purolator didn't figure out he was in the backyard, and simply left a notice.

I had a nice lunch, and refueled, then went back at it. I could hear Annabelle meowing. Turns out she was locked in the shed! Oopsie. She forgave me.

Daisy was insanely jealous when Annie came out for moral support. Mind you, Daisy was on my right, Annie came around my left and neither knew the other was there.

There was a kerfuffle. This is MY  mummy and you can't be here.


Finally, the job was done. Hubby did the last bit of debris, as I collapsed in his easy chair, with the massage feature! He came back with some boxes to gather the debris, and we are done! We have a young buck who has been wandering around in the mornings. Lots of fun!