If you could burn zucchini in a woodstove, our woodshed would have been full of green vegetable fuel right now. I always seem to plant too much and when we have a bumper crop, the deer are the beneficiaries of it. But it seems like such a waste. If we could only figure out a way to burn it…
It seems like we’re always a little behind when it comes to firewood. We have to get snowed on at least once before the last of the wood is under cover, and this year is proving to be no different. We never really get serious about getting our wood under cover until the fall. I’m satisfied if we can put the task to bed by Thanksgiving. Well, Thanksgiving came a little early this year, and we didn’t quite make it. But we were close.
Our current firewood supply is coming from two very large soft maple trees that shaded our front lawn until a year ago. We made the agonizing decision to have them cut down to avert potential disaster during a windstorm. They were massive and towered over the house and road. Taking them down was a collaborative effort that involved the power company, the town highway department, and a private tree service. We’ll be chasing chunks of these trees well into next year. It’s hard work for everyone – the sawyer, the splitter, the mover and the stacker.
We always seem to have a lot of activities going on at the same time and this year was no different. Since we bought firewood cut, split and delivered for the past couple of years, all of our equipment needed to be brought back into good working order again. It’s funny how quickly non-use can render something unusable. The homemade log splitter that we bought more than 20 years ago was on the “in need of repair” list. After a new motor and some design modifications, even I can pull start it and make it run again! It’s a pleasure to be splitting wood once more, and the push is on to finish filling the woodshed.
We built this woodshed about 5 years ago. It holds 12 face cords of firewood, which is a sufficient supply for us during a cold winter.
We are getting our second real snow of the year today, and there’s only one or two days of work left to on the woodpile before we move on to the next activity. The woodshed will be full before Christmas!
Our large wood supply awaits cutting and splitting. The home-built sawbuck, pictured at right, is useful for holding smaller limb pieces while they are being cut. This photo was taken on November 24 after the first measurable snowfall of the year.Â
