Sunny and Cold but no new snow therefore....

I tackled the long dead cherry tree along the driveway yesterday and today. The bark was long gone and it is dry, seasoned hardwood ready to burn. The challenge has always been whether it would fall down easily after cut with the chain saw or get hung up in some branches of the neighboring healthy tree and create a nightmare calling for ropes, tree climbing or other tactics beyond my skills. Well it came down easy and clean as one of the pictures below shows. Next came the task of cutting it into usable logs ready for splitting. It took nearly forty cuts with the chain saw but that task is now completed and as you can also see below it is neatly stacked awaiting splitting and hauling to the ready-to-use woodpile behind the garage. About half of the supply prepared for this winter is now gone so there is amply room for new additions.

I hope that the remaining stack of wood will be enough for this season but one never knows how cold March and April will be here in Maine. I can certainly report an easy, but quite cold winter so far. The snow total has only reached 32 inches and no storms in sight. The relatives in Virginia are facing a bigger snowfall this year than Maine...how ironic! Winter in Maine is always very unpredictable but when it isn't snowy I am happy to report that the days are usually sunny. I have spent a lot of time this winter sitting by my wood stove and reading in my new chair as previously reported on this blog. But I like to put in some outdoor time each day no matter what the weather. On cold, sunny days I am able to at least spend some time wood gathering as I have done with this big tree falling and cutting task the past two days. It keeps me in shape for the long (hopefully) gardening season I am now starting to think about and plan for more and more as we near spring, in spite of what the famous Pennsylvania groundhog might predict.