Just ahead of the rain.

While it is on the warm side, relatively speaking, it was still a process to gather up both kids to take the dog for a nice long walk at the farm before the rain clouds opened up. We made it! Just barely. In the car heading home only two minutes before the sky opened up and it unleashed a torrent of pelting rain drops upon us. Didn’t last all that long though. Must be pushing south at a good clip.

We saw the grain trucks coming and going while we were there too. I’ve seen them several days in a row, sat idle. One day I caught a longer double truck leave when the road construction was present doing work on the culverts. How he managed to get out on the road with all that equipment there is beyond me. I know he didn’t take the grass because it’s got a serious grade to it, and he’d get stuck in seconds trying that route. That’s why you hire professionals I suppose.

I took the kids to inspect the wood piles, so that I can get a sense of where I want to start processing the larger logs next week. I still feel like some of them should go on a saw mill for planks, and furniture wood stock, but that’s a whole separate issue. Right now I’m focused on prepping wood rounds to be split next fall, because I have not been able to split in a couple weeks now. Both because I was busy with my final three reports for the year, and a short family vacation, weather interruptions, and a general sense of feeling a little lazy. Also because much of what is left in pile one isn’t seasoned enough, and I cannot seem to get it to come apart without the wedge & a sledge hammer. That’s not as much fun as the axe, or swinging the maul. The wedge is far slower, and far more labour intensive. It also results in my wrist, and elbow pain for me, so I limit how much I do with the wedge. I have my eye on a larger Estwing wedge, but the price skyrocketed from $38 to $56 over the course of the last three weeks. That’s a lot of cash for a nine inch glob of shaped steel in my books.

Also I have the chainsaws up and running, so the new fangled toys have my attention right this minute. It all plays towards the same ends, so I’m not going to fight my whims right now. Processing the logs needs to be done anyway, if I want stuff to chop next year. Pile three could wind up taking the better part of a year in, and of itself. So I’m in no rush to get to that. I am going to have to stack really long lines of wood on the grass, because we could not keep enough green wire bins on hand to house all the wood we have right this moment. If any other arborists come by to drop of more wood, we will happily wait until next year to even attempt to process it, for the year after that’s splitting session. This stuff doesn’t go over night. Pile three could be twelve feet high, three stacks deep, and forty feet long, and I’m sure there would be wood, bark, and chips left over. It’s going to be insane. Might have to sell the split wood by the truckload just to be rid of it.

Although to be fair, in order to get to that point I would need a gas powered splitter, because while I have had fun chopping for ninety minutes a morning for the last two months, the real tough, fibrous woods have given me a nasty time. To actually get through all of this wood, a 32 tonne, or higher gas powered splitter would be necessary. Preferably one that can tilt to vertical so the much larger rounds don’t have to be lifted up off the ground. Maybe a four way wedge too, wouldn’t go amiss. Speed things up considerably! If I had the money! Not only that but a vehicle with a tow hitch mount, and a ball, and safety chains, locking pins and such.

I did finally order myself chainsaw specific gloves to help me keep all of my fingers, and both hands. So 8 will be working in proper CSA boots, chaps, gloves, hearing protection, and goggles. I don’t fell trees so I believe I can get away with no hard hat. A face shield might come in handy, but the goggles are doing a lot to protect my eyes. Sharp chains are keeping the wood bits nice and big limiting the amount of dust (so far).

Today is the last PA Day of the year, so I am trying to keep work at bay today, so that I can focus on the kids. They are fighting others together on Roblox if what I’m hearing is correct. That or 99 nights in the forest. Either way they aren’t squabbling, and for that I am happy. My oldest is off to a birthday party this afternoon to see Wicked II, so she’s pretty excited about that. The youngest not so much. She isn’t going. She doesn’t have the attention span to sit through an entire movie, especially not one she has never seen before. Has a touch of ADHD, or something along those lines. Can concentrate like a mf on something she enjoys though. To the detriment of all else. So perhaps a little spectrum(y) too. Ha. Just like dear old dad I’m afraid. I really have to push to do things I do not like. Singular focus is my jam man. Being interrupted suuuuuuucks.

Happy Friday to all those that don’t have to work on weekends. May your last PA Day of 2025 be uneventful, or very eventful depending on which vibe you were striving for. Ciao Bella!