Free Wood

Another source, logging crew up off Mackletree and I stopped by after work today with a cold six-pack, asked if I could buy a few loads of off-cuts. They said hell yes, a six-pack per load, same time any day. The old beer ploy. People who work outdoors in this weather really like a cold beer at quitting time, hell, I work indoors and like a cold beer at quitting time. Turned the props over to The Damned Brit today and he was very pleased. Need to finish moving drapes and setting light for him on Thursday. Smart Talk tomorrow, pottery demo, probably occupy me most of tomorrow; morning, I have to clean flood damage in the basement, so the play moms can paint the boat, car, and caravan. D off tomorrow, judging another art show. A large flock of turkeys, on the drive home, and I parked and watched them for twenty minutes. Funny but wary birds, this year's crop were the size of large chickens, more than I could easily count, they move around a lot, maybe 40, four or five moms, one a monster, 25-30 pounds. They were feeding on the back edge of a field of last year's corn, this tear in soybeans, a perfect view of them with the glasses. Two of the moms, one each side, always keeping watch. The first time I saw a large flock of them, in Mississippi, I couldn't believe how loud they were, walking along scratching and pecking the ground, big feet, large claws. They're wonderful eating, on occasion I've shot one, probably no more (I live alone, why would I fix a turkey?), then I'd skin it, I've always hated plucking, bard it with bacon and cook for 8 hours in the smoker. Can't believe my good luck in firewood, I'll get more than a cord of pre-cuts for a case of Bud Light. Satisfied that issue is addressed, I briefly think about next winter, inventory the larder, vow to restock an item every payday, start a list. 10 pounds of dried pintos, 10 pounds of grits (I can make polenta), five packages of smoked jowl for the freezer, 10 cans of sardines, 10 cans of stewed tomatoes, five packages of butter beans for the freezer, 10 cans of sliced white potatoes, 2 boxes of dried salt cod, 10 cans of chick peas, 10 cans of black beans, a case of decent zinfandel or shiraz, 10 pounds of basmati rice, 2 pounds of bacon and 2 pounds of butter for the freezer, back-up peanut butter, back-up soy sauce, 10 cans of chicken stock, a case of grape juice, a case of tinned pink grapefruit, that gets me into November. I carry perishables, a few pounds at most, even when I hike in mid-winter. Now that I have a list, I can catch these items on sale, 10 for 10 bucks. Big Lots has always got stewed tomatoes, and I love them, alone, or wherever tomatoes are required, I'll get the sardines there too (I make a sandwich with a can of sardines and a thick onion slice that you don't want to know about) and several other things. 10 cans of enchilada sauce, how could I forget that? But I'm good to go on pickled hot peppers and hot sauce, my main holding right now, in hot sauce, is a local product and too hot to use, so I'm going to cut it, I'm going to step on my hot sauce with carrot juice, take it down a notch. My test for these, and it's just me, is if I can't eat 10 saltines with a single drop on each it's too hot to consider. Considering the accumulative effects of that kind of heat. 10 saltines in five minutes is a really long time. But I'm a scientist so I keep plugging away; I'm a fool, so I keep confusing myself. 10 cans of tuna, 5 golden rings. 3 calling birds and a partridge. Maybe a turkey, I always get the beat wrong, at the end, my sense of time is always incorrect. I thought this was yesterday.