My Knees Are Crying Like Babies

This morning, my knees are crying like babies and at first, with an idiot's wisdom, I thought "It must be going to rain." Then I checked the weather and find it's not supposed to rain until Wednesday and reconsidered the knee situation. Oh. Right. The wood stack on the back porch went from the above to 

which meant one step up on the porch, carrying wood, one step down on the ground, repeat until wood off ground and onto rack. The large piece, left, will be used as a back porch table; a sweet reminder of the gift of the sugar maple. In the interest of full disclosure, the back side is what I did before leaving to do errands. The front is what Faith did when she came to help yesterday. Still, immodesty bids me also tell you, Faith is 2/3 my age; she's 21 to my 62 so your adulation and praise should not be withheld on my behalf (HAHAHAHAHA).

There's one more wood rack to fill and, in the next few days, the boys will be along with black locust. I've got a couple of things to finish in the house and then let Ole Man Winter come! But, not until then please and thanks.

Coming home yesterday, of course I stopped to take photos.

A beautiful white tailed deer.

The Cove from another direction. This taken from about where the "Half Mile Tree" stood until it succumbed to Father Time and Mother Nature. The tiny white spot, about center left is the Cove church, no longer used for services. Thistle Cove Farm cannot be seen due to the rolling nature of the landscape and much of the land in this photo belongs to the estate of Smiley Ratliff, a local southwest VA (Grundy, Buchanan County) boy "who done good"...very, very, very good. Dave and I were welcomed into the Cove by Smiley, long before we knew who Smiley was. To us he was simply a kind man, a good neighbor who invited us to his home for cook-outs and a good time. If you click on his name, you'll read a Washington Post article that describes Smiley and our part of Appalachia to a T. In the 1950's Smiley was on the cover of Time magazine. Like I said, a southwest VA boy who done good...very, very, very good for himself and a lot of others.

As an aside, when we first moved to the farm, a young lad who helped us told me he used to play junior varsity football. I asked him why he'd quit and he replied, "Waelll, we'un's 'uld play agin Grundy and I'd be on the line and look up and that thar feller 'n front of me 'uld have a mustash. Heck, Miss Sandra, that just ain't right...them Grundy boys go back to school in September so they'uns could play football and they'd quit by Christmas. Some of them had been in the 8th grade 3 and 4 times!"

Smiley coached Buchanan High School football and was once asked what was the best pass defense. He replied, "A quarterback lying in a pool of blood, dyin'."

They don' grow 'em as tuff as they us'd tuh.

Blessings ~ Smiley Ratliff ~ firewood ~ the Cove ~ black locust ~ sugar maple ~ 

Death by a Million bites or More Winter Prep Work

One of my favorite things to make (and eat) are roasted cherry tomatoes with EVOO, sea salt, cracked pepper and rosemary. It's about a quart of tomatoes, a double drizzle of EVOO and enough salt and pepper to perk it up a bit. After roasting for a few hours at 300 degrees F, I take them out and, depending upon mood, mix with capers, olives (black or Kalamata or your pick) then top sliced toasted baguettes pieces. It's especially nice with a shaving or three of Parmesan cheese on top but not quite enough to eat after a day of wood cutting.

The huge, old sugar maple in the front yard has been devoured by black ants. Donald tells me the ants get into trees and begin eating from the middle out and, eventually, the tree loses enough of itself and collapses. I'm sad to say this is what happened to the top of my 150 year old tree. The rest of the tree is still hanging in there; may it continue.

Donald came over to cut up the tree; first using his chain saw

and then using the maul to split the large pieces.

In a word, he's amazing. He's using Dave's maul, bought the first year we lived here and should I try to use it, the blasted thing would probably bounce back and hit me in the head. It takes enormous strength to do all this work; my work was in loading up the wood and taking it round the house.

I filled the Ranger three times, enough for three weeks for the wood stove. Most of the wood is dry but to start, I'll use a ratio of 1 of these to 3 of the black locust; it'll both stretch the locust and cause a slower burn. I think, perhaps, there's enough to last me December, January, February and, should winter last through March, I'll limp through. The wood stove is supplemental heat and I use it because it's warm heat...warming me several times...loading and dragging wood to the porch, stacking it on the porch, carrying it into the house, stacking it in the house and, finally, burning it.

The large "log" on the left back side is the piece I'm using as a "side table" on the back porch plus it's a nice reminder of the old tree.

The third load in the Ranger, the first two loads dumped on the ground. Tomorrow, I'll stack wood on one of the wood racks and hope for the best this winter. That's right, one of two wood racks...on the back porch. I do not want a repeat of this year's February...when I ran out of wood. I'm doing my best to be safe, warm and ready.

After a trip to the grocery store I came home and got in the Whirlpool, jets blasting, hot water steaming and Epsom salts thrown liberally into the mix.

It felt wonderful!

Now, my bones are pleasantly tired and it's time for my evening to end; tomorrow comes early and I'm excited to be closer to winter prep work being finished. How about you; are you ready for winter?

Blessings ~ Donald ~ free wood for the physical labor ~ Whirlpool bath ~ Epsom salts ~ Ranger ~ roasted cherry tomatoes ~