Homestead mailing list

["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 8:10 PM, Robert Walton <waltonrp AT gmail.com> wrote:

> I started cutting firewood this weekend.


We did some ourselves last weekend.


> 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.


Why? Just curious.

>
> 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.


We did the same. A five +/- acre field in front of our house has a Liberty
apple tree on the far side next to the forest. We didn't plant the tree,
previous owner did.

My best guess is that he didn't want the tree in the middle of the field,
but why he put it way over there is beyond me. You'd have to see our place,
it is not the only apple tree but I've mentioned before that we're 'fruit
rich.'

Over the years the forest had been moving ever closer and began to overtake
the tree. A few staghorn sumacs, pine and wild cherry trees are no longer.
We saved the cherry wood and pulled the rest down towards the bottom of the
hill (deeper in the woods). We reclaimed a space 20x30' and it is really
beautiful.

>
> I used the tractor to drag out the big logs


We keep forgetting that we've got a tractor and could do that, nor are we
yet comfortable with the tractor but we'll get there. Right now it's
s.o.g.g.y around here but we're glad for the rain. Running water from the
well or spring is a very good thing.

lkvp