Going to the Tree Bank

Not long ago The Fuzz went into the woods for some firewood.

It's not all gone yet... But with all this winter we've been having lately, it was going up in smoke fast.

So it was time for another round of woodcutting.

While The Fuzz is kinda susceptible to that P-Factor, he was ready for this one.

With all the snow & ice the ground would be much too soggy to take his vehicle into the woods.  So it was time to make a withdrawal from the Tree Bank.

The Tree Bank is when The Fuzz finds a dead or dying tree and marks it for later.

The ones closest to the trailer are saved for when he needs wood in a hurry and close to home.

This seemed  like the right time for this one.

It came down pretty easily- no hangups in the other trees, which is not only a pain in the ass, but a bit dangerous.

Now all that was left was to cut the sucker up.

The Fuzz started at the top since those pieces wouldn't have to be split.  Then he worked his way down from there until he ran out of gas.  That was when he realized there was no more chain oil.

Oh well.

Well, he and His Sweetie had been cooped up since the snow had started, so they were ready for a ride into town anyway.  It was a chance to take care of some errands and a tasty Thai dinner.

The next day The Fuzz got back on the job.

What was left was the main trunk.  In this area it was straddling this depression.

The Fuzz was hoping to be able to cut this thing up without having to roll it around.*  So he drove a couple of smaller pieces up under it so that  when he cut it in half, it would still be off the ground-

And it worked!

Now it was time to fire up the old log splitter.

This guy can be a bit unhappy about getting going in cold weather.  I suppose that is a hint that one should cut one's wood ahead of time!

But Our Fuzz has a few tricks up his sleeve.  It this case his trusty can of ether.**

The splitting was a lot of work, but went okay.

He switched to vertical mode for the last few-and largest- pieces. 

So now there is once again, a respectable woodpile.  The Fuzz is hoping it'll last through the rest of the winter.

*In these situations one does not want to let one's chain cut into the ground.  It kinda messes things up.

**He used this stuff for years to get his old truck crunk in the morning to get in to work.