Obiter Dictum

Good thing I headed to town early, as we got quite a bit of snow in town, and I'm sure the ridge got pounded. I brought in extra outer layers and boots for the coming hikes up and down the driveway. Remembered to put the crampons and my mop-handle walking-stick in the Jeep. I'll need to leave work an hour early for the next couple of days, for the walk in, because nighttime temperatures are supposed to be in the single digits. Pretty well supplied at home, but I won't be spending my usual two or three days alone until weekend after next, as I'm scheduled to work Saturday and Sunday for the second party. I actually get paid extra for working Sunday. Still have to get the shocks and tires done. It's all catching up with me, but I'll get it sorted out. Next Monday I have to spend working on firewood. Xmas break I can haul split rounds from the driveway depot to the woodshed, and I have a goodly stash of oak pallets. B said he'd chainsaw a couple of windfalls that are close to the driveway, right where it crests, goes almost flat, not quite, it's still uphill, but the angle, the degree of slope, is negligible, compared to where we usually harvest wood, deep in ravines, one-seventh of a mile away. The last large tree that B and I worked on, he had to plunge-cut from both sides; I had to split it into quarters before I could carry them to staging areas. 100 vertical feet, so I leveled a spot at 50 feet, cleared a place at the top, built ricks, and just bumped the splits along. Surface moisture is an interesting thing. A sapless wood, like red maple or sassafras, ain't going to clog your stove pipe. Pope Daft The 28'th.