Ok, not really “IN” the woods, but on the edge of the woods - my (by the Grace of God) woods. I never “traded” before moving to Montana, but since I’ve been here trading has been part of my life and a wonderful part! My first trade was a hot tub for a snow blower and we were both very happy! The hot tub needed some work that I could not do and I really needed a snow blower.

Circa October 2008 - I’m talking to my friend Kris and lamenting the fact that I have this pile of dry logs and some dead/dying trees and have been unable to find someone to cut for a split of the wood. Kris puts forth an idea for a trade - she and her carpenter husband, Hal need some computer/photography help and Hal is waiting for a job to start…match made in heaven! Someday, I will tell the story (part anyway) of Kris and Hal and how they came into my life, but for now the important thing is that they came to my woods yesterday and Hal cut up the logs - Kris and I moved and stacked - in preparation for another day of splitting and stacking.

Current state of the firewood supply… - not enough for Winter!

Logs that were not sellable or did not fit on the last truck after Logging ‘07.

More logs that didn’t fit on the truck.

It was a beautiful day! - golden larch against blue, blue sky. I didn’t get the exposure quite right - in “person” it was a much more vivid contrast. The larch are approaching their peak of vibrant gold!

That smoke??? - the smoke of an 80’s vintage chain saw starting….the BIG saw, the saw big enough to handle the logging remnants.

I learned about a new tool - a peavey. It is a handle with a sharp point and then a kind of sickle shaped extrusion. It works like a lever to move large logs. Hal used it to get the pile of logs parallel enough to cut through several at a time with the BIG saw.

Hal cut a few rows and threw the cuts out of the way. At the start, I was back and forth from the computer to the cutting area - taking the cuts to the splitting venue and out of the way. As things progressed, the moving (my part) became more fulltime. Kris arrived with Arrow, their Samoyed. Arrow is 15 1/2, loves to ride in the car and even though they have beautiful acreage to walk in, enjoys a “new” spot. We had a nice long walk and left Hal to sawing. Karl, the beardog, was in the house…he has a thing about chain saws and also gun shots (hunters are practicing???).

After lunch, things stepped up and we all worked until all was cut up and mostly grouped to allow me to put a tarp over and keep it all dry until splitting day.

We finished for the day about 2:30 - I was pooped! Hot shower feels so good after a day working hard - even if it was really only half a day more or less.

Below…the “after”:

A day in the woods - wonderful!

Yesterday was a chore day… first up was dusting and cleaning floors. I don’t do these things on any kind of schedule…I dust when the sun shines at such an angle that it forces me to notice that I can write my name in the dust on shelves, etc. Although I vacuum the floor nearly daily, because it is wood, I am fairly sure that all I accomplish with the vacuum is blowing the dust, hair and dirt to the edges and under things where it forms gigantic dust bunnies. They hide until someone visits and then they skitter out to betray my “only when things get desperate” style of housekeeping.

I noticed that in the last several days the floor was feeling a bit gritty - that is my signal that it is time to get serious. In the living room, I picked up the pet bed and put it on the back of a chair while I worked in there.

“Where my bed goes, I goes”…

Next up on the chore list was firewood. I have about 1/3 of a cord of small larch pine that was cut to length for my stove 2 years ago. I had cut several small live trees that were in the way of the motorhome spot and they are now nice and dry - easy to split and ready for a nice crackly fire - the larch “spits excessively” - snap, crackle, pop in the stove.

My method of splitting I call aerobic splitting…

I like to set 3 or 4 logs in a semicircle and take a whack at them in succession. I use a splitting maul vs a hammer and wedge. Splitting wood is more about letting the tool and momentum do the work vs strength, but it does take some effort to swing the maul with accuracy and to coordinate motion so that body and maul weight is doing most of the work. I find that the rhythm of doing several at once works for me.

Karl supervises….from a distance.

They all split on first whack - but some I split again. I’m splitting these small larch fairly small to use as fire starter and small fire fuel. I have a stock of larger fir and pine for larger, longer stove use.

Wheelbarrow full from 7 smallish rounds.

Karl and I had taken a walk before the wood splitting commenced. The walk was partially my “warm up”. I hadn’t done any hand splitting for 2 years. The fall I moved into the house I bought 4 cords of wood and the handyman that worked for me at the time had a splitter which we used. And while feeding the splitter and then stacking is still work, it was much faster and easier. I have nearly 3 cords of dry wood leftover from the logging done in early 2007. I am doing a wonderful trade with my friends Kris and her husband, Hal. Some of my computer/photography expertise for Hal cutting the wood to length, as well as taking down several dying trees and downfall that can dry for next year. I will rent a splitter for that project, but until then I enjoy hand-splitting a bit now and then.

I split 14 rounds - 2 wheelbarrows full - 1/4 of the little 1/3 cord…enough for me for the day!

Karl thought it was enough also.

We played “Karl’s rules soccer-football”….

“You get it, Mom”

Done for the day.

…maybe the last sweet corn of the summer…we have enjoyed excellent sweet corn since late June. With one exception, it has lived up to its name and been sweet, tender-crunchy and something we’ve indulged in frequently. Corn, blueberries and asparagus - this summer they have been plentiful and wonderful!

As Montana does, one day summer, the next fall - it has been cool, sometimes overcast with a bit of rain, but often in the afternoon, the fall light that I love - from the lower, southern sky - casts a warm, glowing light in the sunroom.

This weekend we have actually been “laboring” - final touches on a few projects…

the ground rod for the electric… 5 of its 6 feet were in the ground and we couldn’t budge it any further so Bill cut it off

a tree that never straightened up after the June snow…Bill put it out of its misery and my line of sight!

the hose and sprinkler “system” dismantled and stored for winter

yard mowed - hopefully for the last time!

some maintenance on the truck and bus as Bill prepares to head for Florida - the 8th or 9th - depending on hurricanes, other weather (winter weather advisory at elevation today…) and the receipt and installation of a few interior parts for the bus

One of the benefits of self employment (me) and retirement (Bill) is choosing to work on this type of holiday and take our time off when everyone else isn’t.

So, this Labor Day…

is for laboring.

See Herb Garden, Part 1 for the start of this project to turn the previous owner’s leftover topsoil aka Karl’s dirt pile into an Herb Garden…

The pile has been weeded and some garden weed and feed applied. I smoothed it out mostly in the shape I think I want and have been putting a few rocks in the vicinity in preparation for making a rock border and maybe a few here and there in the “garden” for “interest”.

Last weekend I went to the nursery, clutching my “Swan Bucks” (nursery coupons) only to find that they do not have any herbs left. Same story 2 other places. Sooooo… decided that I would let the snow do what it will to my shape and start looking for seeds and plants in the Spring. The garden catalogs always have ideas for “planned” gardens and although I don’t necessarily want that, I decided I probably need some help in what looks good as far as mixing the height of things. And I might add some perennials that make pretty cut flowers for the house - there are a few that the deer don’t like - at least the nursery says so…I haven’t consulted the deer…

Although not a casualty to the deer, one of my hanging baskets gave up the ghost last week. The blue lobelia went first - I’m thinking too much sun as I know it likes shade. The lobelia died in both baskets, but everything (mountain bells) died in the smaller. I finally put the thing out of its misery, moved the remaining basket to a hanger on the garage and got 2 baskets of petunias from the end of the year 50% off sale. Hopefully, all will hang in until the snow flies… It was impatiens that did so well last year.

A little weather note … 2 months ago yesterday, it snowed about 4 inches here. We had our longest, little “heat wave” this past week of 3 days that barely hit 90. This morning it is 44 and maybe will make it out of the 70’s… with another mini-heat wave of 3 days due this weekend. After this weekend we are past the mid-point of August and although September and even October can have beautiful warm (upper 70’s) days - the days are getting noticeably shorter, the light is changing - we are headed towards Fall! I love this time, love Fall - this morning’s cool, crispness is a wonderful signal that it is not far off!

Yesterday afternoon I needed a break from programming and was thinking on a little strength training session. But, it was beautiful outdoors - not too hot, nice breeze…so I combined a bit of strength work with the start of my herb garden project.

The “plan” for the herb garden is to smooth out the pile of dirt - topsoil pile left by the last owner and somewhat commandeered by Karl. (see King of the Hill )

The weeds and grass need to be removed. I am going to mow around the pile a bit and surround it with a rock border. I’m not sure what herbs or other things I will plant - I will wait and see what the nursery has when I’m ready. I hope to be ready to go to the nursery by mid-August when they put all perrenials, including herbs on sale. This should work well as I don’t plan on killing myself to get the dirt ready for planting.

This not killing myself to get it all done RIGHT NOW - this is a recently acquired “skill”. In my youth and not so distant past I would have decided it all needed to be done immediately. Yesterday, as I approached the dirt pile with my first wheelbarrow full of rocks and looked at the grass and weeds that needed to be pulled - and I was already hot from picking up rocks - I said to myself…”Hmmm, think I’ll just clean up this one little corner for today”. That’s when it struck me that I’d changed - and the thing is, it is a good change and a change that makes the project more fun than work! I don’t NEED to do it all RIGHT NOW. I can do a bit at a time - taking breaks in my work day to get outside and do something active. And I find myself looking forward to what little bit I might get done today - and enjoying thinking about how I might arrange rocks and what plants I might get…some day…

This change to doing projects a bit at a time - yes, partly due to the fact that it is not as easy at 52, almost 53 to work physically hard for hours, but it is driven more by an appreciation for enjoying the moment and the task versus a “just get it done” attitude.

I cleaned up the little corner of the dirt pile, dumped my first load of small rocks and took a moment to look at the progress. The sun warmed dirt and just pulled weeds and grass had that “working in the garden” smell. Karl was working on a stick nearby. It was a simple, joyful, moment - one I might have missed if all I had in mind was getting it done.

I’ve got plenty of rocks to choose from…

Enjoying the moment, smelling the dirt, feeling the sunshine…Herb Garden, part 1.