Had a great if brief climbing session today, and had high hopes of getting down to the farm to split some more rounds while the temperature was modest, and it was still dry. But, such is life, it now seems as though the heavens have opened up and it is once again raining quite heavily. No end in sight, given how dark, and overcast each and every direction looks. Lovely.
Guess I’ll read my book then. I’m still waiting on the power pack portion of my solar generator to arrive. Delivery said any day between Friday and Monday. I do have the solar panels in hand, which is good. But ultimately useless without the proprietary power pack slash storage battery. With any luck it will show up on Monday afternoon, and I can get it to start charging up. I will feel a whole lot better knowing we have it on hand as we get closer to the May wind storm anniversary.
If work slows up a bit (it has gone full tilt for multiple weeks now – which is astounding, also excellent!) I can give the dog a walk, and then start to split some rounds, or process the last remaining logs for seasoning prior to getting split next year, or the year after that. I don’t really like to plan that far ahead, because you just don’t know anymore. I have two current friends battling cancer, and some recent deaths from cancer, and some acquaintances have passed away from various lymphomas too. It’s very prevalent, and seems to be extra aggressive as of late. In growth, expansion, and how it attacks the afflicted individual. It’s nuts. So given how paper thin everything feels, I am keeping my planning to whatever is in each month, and perhaps each quarter. I don’t want to be looking out for stuff five six months from now, I want to focus on today, and the here & now primarily.
I’m not negating the long term plans, but I want to be present for immediate things, not spend my time longing for stuff that’s months, or years away. I haven’t gone all YOLO, but I am trying to be more present. I love a good plan, lists and whatnot, but given how do many others are being dealt upsets, it’s good to be here, now, and get things done with grace in the moment. Not sure if that sentiment reads how I feel it, but that’s where I’m at right now.
I did all that prep work on the off chance we might face so kind of struggle or chaotic event, so I haven’t given up on the future. But I have no guarantees for long term, so instead of putting things off, I’m more likely to hit them head on now, than wait. It’s a little contradictory, but a suitable balance can be made, I think.
Put stuff in place, just in case you get to tomorrow, but live in the here and now, with what you got going on. I think I’ve always lived this way, but as I continue to get closer to fifty years old, I’m more introspective, and willing to do important things now while I can, rather than wait for retirement, or once the kids hit this milestone, or that one, etc etc…
I’m seeing and hearing of people dying, getting various cancers and other ailments, losing limbs to amputations, and all sorts of upsets to people’s plans for their futures. It makes you think. Part of me screams forget tomorrow do it all right now!, this very instant, and the responsible part says keep a watch out for tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, next five years, and the next ten after that. Oh what a tangled web we weave.
So in short it’s raining again (April showers bring May flowers after all.) as much as I was hoping to go split some wood it seems unlikely for today. There is a call for single digit temperatures tomorrow, and the possibility of snow. Seems late in the month for snow, but chaos is chaotic for a reason. Tire swaps will have to wait until next weekend then. I don’t appreciate doing the tires during inclement weather. I’ll turn the water on to the outside tap so I can power wash the road salt off of the winter tires when I do swap them out. Cleaning them doesn’t add all that much extra time anyway.
Good news is all this climbing means I can still grab a hold of an axe comfortably for 75-90 minutes. My one elbow still doesn’t like chopping all that much even with five months off. Keeps me from spending all day basking in the sun splitting, so that’s likely a good thing. I need to get more Gatorade G2, or Zeroes for prolonged axe swinging sessions. My chainsaw gear is brand new, clean, and ready to rock & roll too. Once work slows up, I can hit the two remaining piles hard, and try to get ahead leaving reduced piles for the fall. If all goes well that is.
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