A while ago, we needed to have some tree issues dealt with, as did our neighbour. Our big spruce had a couple of really big branches snap over, but not come down completely. The ash tree which belongs to our neighbour, but is right next to the property line, was slowly dying and dropping branches onto our yard. As well, neighbour had another dying tree (I think a Manitoba maple, but not sure). The neighbour owns the property, but does not live there. He comes around every once in a while to check on it and maintain the grounds. The house is currently empty. I believe he will move in when he retires. Husband and he formed an agreement where husband found someone to come and do all the taking down of trees and branches. He would supervise and tell the arborist what needed doing. They split the cost. Neighbour agreed that we could have the wood.
We have a dear friend who has lots of wonderful equipment, much of it part of his business. He has a wood splitter, so we were able to borrow it. Some wood had already been done by husband, but today, husband, daughter, and I really made headway. He ran the splitter, we loaded up the "gorilla cart", and chucked the pieces of wood into a pile in the car park.
The one dead tree had the most bizarre wood I have ever seen. We joked that it looked like pulled pork!
Yes, you are seeing red. There were lots of big ants as well. Hopefully they will scatter with all of the 'chucking' and later stacking.
This is the pile so far. It looks smaller than it actually is. There is more of the huge ash tree to be added. Then the stacking begins! Oh goody!
We were very happy to be able to get all of this "free" wood. Just our time, gasoline for the splitter, and sweat equity, and we have enough wood for two or three years. (We don't primarily heat our home with wood, but we do have a woodstove in the den which we use intermittently through the winter).
So, this woodchuck will be tired and stiff after all the bending and lifting and chucking. I'm making supper in a moment, grilled vegetables, smokey sausages, and sweet potato. Have a great weekend!
Nothing better than free stuff! But you worked hard to get it so kudos to you all.
ReplyDeleteYes, free is great!
DeleteHa! Pulled pork or really big slabs of bacon chunked up! I think I remember reading somewhere (but not sure, so don't quote me) that a tree can develop red streaks like that as a chemical to combat a wound. Which would make sense for the one of yours with the broken branches.
ReplyDeleteGreat supply of wood for this coming winter. Or more, as you say. The branches and tree(s) needed to come down and how great the wood can be used rather than you having to pay to have it hauled away. Hard work for the three of you but even though you may feel a couple of stressed and strained muscles, it will be a "good" tired for you tonight!
I know you can definitely relate to wood chores!
DeleteJenn, I have stacked and hauled wood aplenty. It can seem endless at times. You have earned a great supper...too bad you have to make that yourself. I have had times where I thought "oh no I have used up all my strength and can't cook. LOL. Blessings to you hard workers. xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteI was tired, but it was a good tired.
DeleteMy first husband and I used to go out to his folks property and cut up any dead oak limbs (or trees that died). Mostly we used a chain saw, and I recall that although I could do it, I was terrified every minute I would cut something off. Glad I don't have to do that anymore! When Romeo and I lived in Oregon we heated the house with our fireplace (it had an insert). Although it was a great house we were renting, it had baseboard electric heat, which was very expensive. All we had to do there was split the wood. Not a bad work out, but that was over 20 years ago!
ReplyDeleteThankfully, the chainsawing was already done by the arborist. But the pieces that were left were huge, so they had to be split. A wood splitter is an amazing thing!
DeleteIt must be a good feeling to have that work done, even if there's more to do! We just cut down a dead tree on our property a couple of weeks ago, and as we don't burn wood, my friend's son is coming to get the wood for his parents. It feels nice to help someone out, and it gets rid of the wood at the same time. Your dinner sounds wonderful. Hope you can put your feet up and relax after that!
ReplyDeleteToday (Sunday), I am hoping son can take my place with helping with the wood since he's not working today. I really really have to get going with my vegetable garden! So no feet up, yet!
DeleteMy bil was the wood sourcer when we heated the studio with wood. And splitter and stacker. We had a beautiful wood pile. Such a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteThere is something comforting about a good wood pile.
DeleteWe heated with a wood stove years ago. I can build a fire like nobody's business!
ReplyDeleteCaution: if you saw giant ants in the wood, they might be carpenter ants so stacking that wood against a wall just may not be a great idea! :0)
I commented about the ants below.
DeleteSometimes if you bring the wood with lots of big ants (usually carpenter ants) you will have them in your house. I would check on that first. Congratulations on great exercise for the day!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing about the ants. They really ran for cover when the wood was being split and tossed about, so hopefully not many left by the time they get to where we are stacking. The stack is on concrete with concrete boards behind it (Hardyboard). However, after my last little issue with ants (little ones) in the house, I am now a proud owner of Ant Out spray poison. The little ant traps were useless.
DeleteMakes the small apple tree we chopped up last week (it had died) look very insignificant!
ReplyDeleteApple wood is nice to burn, though. We have a bit of apple wood from trimming dead branches off our big old tree a year ago.
DeleteGoodness me. If you keep on working like this you won't need any wood to keep you warm with all that activity.
ReplyDeleteIt was a warm day as well!
DeleteChopping, stacking wood is certainly a major workout. It makes me so sad to see all the dead Ash trees that will soon be mulch in our area. There's also a lot of dead pines. Good that your neighbour is so responsible for his property. Thankfully our two Ash are surviving & still provide glorious shade. They both great another round of treatment later this month. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=
ReplyDeleteWell, he's not all that responsible. We were the ones who initiated the whole cutting down the tree thing because we were worried the whole thing was going to fall on our property. There are little trees growing up all over the place and he lives hours away, so the lawn doesn't get cut regularly, however, he's a good guy, so we can't fault him too much. We have one ash tree that we thought we were losing, but it keeps coming back each spring, and it's a nice tree, so hopefully we'll have it for years to come.
DeleteCalling all lumberjacks! Good job!
ReplyDeleteWow that is a lot of wood and what a work out. You go girl!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday.
Kris
That IS bizarre wood! I can see how you'd have lots for the future -- and good muscles, too, after chopping and hauling on that pile! I wish we could burn pine in the fireplace. A year or two ago our power company cut down four pines in the back yard because of their proximity to power wires. All good -- you hardly know they are gone -- but the wood pile is a big one and since all pine, not burnable in the fireplace, as you know.
ReplyDeleteHa! It does look like pulled pork!!! Glad you got the free wood, that's a blessing! Your supper sounds fabulous!! :) Hope your weather is as nice as mine is this weekend!!
ReplyDeleteFree stuff is always great :) I hope your weekend was as nice as the one we had here. It was gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeletecongrats! That had to have been exhausting! (p.s., you still have my old blog in your blogroll. A Gentle Breeze moved.) (thanks.)
ReplyDeleteIt really helps, having agreeable neighbors. That is a lot of work, a lot of wood, but what a bounty! Not to mention all the muscle toning you got for 'free'.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good feeling, having plenty of wood stored for the next winter. Dinner sounds great too!
ReplyDeleteNow that's a lot of hard work. Been there, done that. We don't have a wood stove anymore, but my daughter heats her home with wood. We currently have a pile of wood from one of our trees that died all ready to take to her.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen such a pretty pile of logs, lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
WOw....nice wood and great start preparing for winter or even just summer pit burning with a cup of coffee in your hand while you sit around it....
ReplyDeleteI buy two cord of wood a year at about two hundred a cord. When the temps drop below freezing we heat with firewood to cut down on oil consumption. My wood comes split; but I usually have to further split about a third of each cord as they come too large for our wood stove. Then I have to move the wood from the front yard where it is dumped to the wood shed in the back yard. I can't have the wood dropped any closer because I don't want the hauler to drive across my drain field. As you say - sweat equity is required to burn firewood; but it makes you feel that you are in control of the winter.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
From what I understand, for Manitoba Maple (or Box Elder as we call it here in upstate NY) that red streaking is normal. Would make nice wood for coasters, cutting boards or other little wood worky projects. Really interesting stuff!
ReplyDelete