The Race

Knew weather was moving in this afternoon, so stepped in up a notch. Had to take the truckload of drinking water back to the museum, where they won't freeze, I'll bring them home one or two at a time. Library, Liquor Store, home, where I carry in two gallons of water. Outside I split kindling and small stuff. I'll only use pine for kindling from now on, stove is too efficient, and I have to damp it down before the pine is burned as starter sticks, and end up with too much pitch. Poplar is perfect for small stuff. Oak, of course, works for anything. Fill all the boxes, cut everything in the shed, bring another rick in from outside. Temps falling, sleet makes walking treacherous. Take the last of the rainwater inside. Start a fire (the house is cold already) put water on to heat, go back out and start cutting a path to the standing dead Chestnut Oak, which will see me through the year. I put it at about 150 feet from the driveway, estimate between 50 and 60 carries. It's a perfect harvest, no branches, but the top is split into three-tine fork, two 12 footers and a 16, six inches tapering to four. Maybe a cord of wood, maybe not quite, and exactly what I need. Sleet changing to snow and the wind picks up, swirling flakes. I got the path a quarter of the way in just an hour, but it's snowing hard and I'm dirty again, and I'm hungry. It's beautiful out, a quick inch of snow, but my feet are cold. The snow sticks to everything because everything was wet two hours ago. So white, so perfect, so very like a whale. Ablutions, then I am, by god, seriously hungry, and I make a chicken noodle dish, using canned chicken, egg noodles and chicken broth, a few other things, that I serve myself on a bed of mashed potatoes. It should cover the bases. For dessert I have cheese grits with a shirred egg and a piece of toast with butter and jam. I'm worn out. I feel like I need to sleep for the rest of the winter, individual muscles in my hands are sore, there's a muscle in the back of my right thigh that wants to cramp. I feel good, actually, beat, but actual. Good enough.