Result
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Orange dawn like the other day…nothing like yesterday’s precip. A great omen.
This ushered in a turn to outdoor chores. Of course, it got overcast and drizzled once or twice before committing to sunshine about 1pm (only sprinkling briefly twice after that).
Today’s number one outdoor chore: putting the kindly loaned gas log splitter through its paces (sorta). The Aldo Leopold comments fit. There are so many steps to getting wood out of a tree and into a fire.
Already completed: the growing of the tree; the felling of the tree; the cutting of the trunk into shorter lengths. That’s where we quit on one of the substantial logs.
Today’s steps…. First, move stout columns of wood to the splitting deck on the machine. Activate the hydraulic arm that pushes the wood against the wedge, causing the splitting. Do this with special care so fingers are not crushed. Open the press. Realign the wood and re-wedge until the pieces are the desired size, tossing them aside to open the jaw and load new pieces. Pick up the new pieces of firewood and walk them around to the other side of the cottage and stack them…with some care (some air spaces, not too much).
I was happy to do the walking-stacking, and let the Guru operate the machinery. Wearing ear protectors (so proud of him).
If you’re lucky, step back and enjoy the aesthetics of the stacked wood against the sunlight on the grove.