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["Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>]

I started cutting firewood this weekend. I swear I'm going to keep at
it and get most of it done before spring. I've heard that it's best to
wait for the leaves to come out, so that the sap is up in them, but
I'm cutting know. There are no ticks or chiggers this time of year, I
about scratched my rear end off last summer. Once the leaves are out,
it's planting season and I never get to cutting wood then. It's nice
and cool to work now.

I took out a nice sized oak that had fell over on another oak tree
years ago but managed to stay alive. Also some small gum trees that
needed to go and a weird double maple that had twisted and grown
together. It was shading out a nice young oak tree and some cedars.
Also took out a beech tree (I think) that was not that big, but in the
wring place. I worked today and yesterday, got the trees down, cleared
a lot of junk and vines. The small area I'm working in looks much
better.

I used the tractor to drag out the big logs and they are sitting there
aside the lane. I'll go back and cut them up, spit and stack to dry
right there. I'll have two stoves next year, so got to cut two
different lengths. The stuff that is no splittable and junk wood, I'll
cut long for the Franklin and the better wood, I'll cut short and
split for the cook stove.

I've got 25 acres of woods, it's nice to get out in it and start to
manage some of what's growing there. I walked back there with the dogs
later today and it's really nice to see that little corner with junk
removed and trees of all sizes left to grow. I used the tractor today
to pull logs up; a horse would have been better. There are a lot of
places I could take out a tree but the tractor can't go.

Rob - Va