Further firewood and other outdoor adventures

Yesterday Claude Mathis and I spent most of the morning until just after noon splitting wood from the huge oak tree we cut down for the lady near Mineral Bluff. Wow, when Claude said the splitter was 'massive' he wasn't kidding. Wish I had a camera phone so I could have taken a picture of it.

Imagine a two-wheel cart made of steel beams, with a trailer hitch on one end, wheels that look like they were surplus from a WWII jeep, a two-cylinder motor (no mufflers!) that may have been an early motorcycle motor connected with a big chain to a 3-stage pump that came from the hydraulic system of a big airplane. There were two tanks made of stainless steel (the only part of the contraption not rusty!), one for gas, and one for hydraulic oil. At the back of this thing was a HUGE beam, with a hydraulic cylinder that looked like it may have come from a front-end loader like they used to use in the mines near here. (Did I mention that this thing was built in the repair shop at the Copper Company, when the guys there didn't have anything else to work on?)

At the foot of the huge beam was a steel plate that drove itself solidly into the ground and formed a base for the wood you want to split. The cylinder drives a wedge that looked like an execution instrument...and did it ever split wood! Sometimes the oak was a little too tough, and we'd shut the motor down. Then you'd have to wind an old-fashioned starter cord and give it a smart, hard yank, and hope the thing would start. Claude tried to start it for 10 minutes before I got there, and finally figured out that the hyd. pump wasn't cut off--he was trying to simultaneously start the motor and drive the pump! But after that, it worked fine, most of the time. We split some 'rounds' that were 22" high and 32" across!

I really loaded down 'old yeller,' my pickup. When I started up the hill, the back bumper was so low that I dragged the ground when I went over a ditch. Fortunately momentum carried me on over and up the hill.

Claude didn't have good luck with his trailer...it was loaded so that at every bounce, the wheels of the trailer screamed from rubbing against the fenders. And his big Suburban-type vehicle would just sit on the hill with its tires spinning on the pasture grass, trying to pull the hill.

Then on the 4th try coming up the hill, his trailer hitch actually broke! But he did manage to get his share of the wood home by today, and was getting his trailer out of the pasture and fixed.

I drove no more than 30 mph all the way home, since the heavy load really had me swaying. But I made it, and all the wood's now stacked between some dogwoods beside our house.

Today I spent all day clearing low-hanging limbs, burning our pile of brush, and beginning to cut a roadway to my shop I'm putting up in our back woods. One tree fell the wrong way and I had to winch it out of another tree! I've ended up with another pile of branches about as big as the pile I burned.

Almost forgot...I finally got almost all our assorted power equipment to the shop for repairs and maintenance. I'll have to take Mamaw's snapper on Monday or Tuesday. Matt, if you read this, you're probably going to get either Mamaw's snapper or my old John Deere, whichever is worth keeping. I'll sell the other one and give the money to Mamaw. Hope I get the tiller and/or mechanical mule back in time to do some fall plowing for our garden. I've decided that the problem is that our soil is just poor. It needs fertilizer and amendment...just too much red clay! And I'm going to make the garden spot a lot smaller than before, so we can actually tend it. I may even move everything up near the garden I made for Debbie this year.

The junker Ford mower is on the back of the truck to go to the scrapyard. Debbie's really glad!

Must get a shower. I'm really tired and dirty.

Firewood 2

Today I spent a couple of hours helping load up the lady's share of firewood from the tree we cut (see the previous post) Claude cut it in 1-foot lengths for her little woodstove. She will get about 4 or 5 "yard trailer" loads, some of which we will split for her tomorrow. I brought home a truckload of oak for me. I will have to split some of it, too.

Tomorrow we tackle splitting the big rounds with a big hydraulic log splitter that was originally built over at the old Copper Company. Claude says it is a real monster, and that our only problem will be getting the wood rounds up onto it to split.

After we finished up at the lady's house, Claude came by our place and cut down three big maple trees that were damaged about 6 years ago when the remains of a hurricane came through. So I have lots of wood to cut up for this fall and winter!

Maybe we can get the fireplace insert we've been thinking of buying. It's supposed to pretty much heat up the whole house, if you let the "fan only" part of the heat pump system run. We'll see!

Firewood

It all started with a post on the "free stuff" group that operates in our county. A lady mentioned that she would split a whole oak tree's worth of firewood, if someone would cut the dead tree down for her.

So I went by and saw it...a MASSIVE white oak tree that died last spring. It probably was a victim of lightining. I may take a photo of the view from this lady's yard. She has awesome views of the surrounding mountains in NC/TN.

Later in the day, I learned that Claude Mathis, our associational missionary (that's a Baptist thing) also was looking for firewood. He has 1) a better chainsaw than me, 2) training from Disaster Relief on how to use the chainsaw, and 3) acess to a woodsplitter. So he was elected to take down the tree.

Mostly, I stood around and watched, though I did lend a hand with an ax when we ran into embedded old nails in the trunk. And I sharpened the chainsaw some. I left Claude yesterday afternoon cutting "rounds" out of the trunk. It was over 32" in diameter, and the tree was well over 40 feet tall. Like I said, massive! I'd hate to think how much the thing weighs.

Anyway, that's a chore I have to do Thursday and Friday afternoons and Saturday. To get the wood cut, split, and transported to three places--the lady's porch (she's hooking up a wood heater to supplement her propance heat this winter), to Claude's house, and to our house.

Cutting wood takes me back a lot of decades to when I used to help my younger uncle Troy cut wood for granddad Dyer's house. We had to cut kindling, small stuff for the cookstove, medium stuff for the wood heaters, splits about 2 feet long for the fireplace, and cut the limbs about 6 or 8 feet long to go under the sorghum syrup cooking pan.

Lonesome Dove Parade, Karnes City, Texas

Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove was a great book, and a great miniseries on television, too. It's also a parade and festival in Karnes City, Texas. In the picture above, that's my middle son Nathan in full sunglasses bandmaster marching mode...reminds me SO much of his old band director from Oconee County, GA.

And at the festival, granddaughter Brenna was showing off the new UGA cheerleader outfit that her mom bought for her in Athens on their recent trip. It was also great to read on Nathan's blog how many friends were there on their front porch and lawn to watch the parade go by.

Maybe the KC band will somehow get invited to the parade for the UGA bowl game this year (or some year soon!) Meantime I just wanted to share these two images grabbed from Kayla and Nathan's blogs.

More Brenna pix--can't get enough!

Both worn out? Yup!
This is how your hair looks when G-Daddy's left in charge.

Crazy Brenna time//Crazy G-daddy time!

Pictures, we got pictures

Until I learn to do a photo album and slideshow, I'll add photos by "main strength and awkwardness."

The photo above is Brenna just getting ready to explore the old library supplies and tools left behind in G-daddy's office when Mamaw moved to Milledgeville...
Whoo! That stuff is scary!
Let's read Veggie Tales!
Another book addict in the family!

Great weekend with Brenna

Debbie and I got to have Brenna, our 29-month old granddaughter, for a visit this weekend, without her parents. We were a little worried that she might not react well to being away from both parents, but she did great!

This photo is her being silly (well, so was I.) We were dropping her off at the Neals' home in Comer, where her mom Kayla is staying this week to help with the Neals' baby Elijah. I asked her if she wanted to 'ride high'--that's what her dad calls being ridden on his shoulders.

The other day, she asked to 'ride high' as we were leaving the grocery store, and Debbie had to explain what she meant. But tonight, she wouldn't get onto my shoulders when I lifted her up. She put both legs on top of my head. Then she tried to slide down my back, which is when Debbie snapped this photo.

But the dismount was a graceful full forward somersault, so all ended well. More photos later!

Brenna's coming!

I hope over the weekend to have MUCH newer photos than this of our one-and-only granddaughter. She still looks like a baby in this photo, but in person, she now has started to look much less like a baby, and much more like a little girl.

After all, she's almost 2 1/2 now. We're off to the airport to meet Kayla and her late this afternoon. She'll be with us all weekend, and maybe a little early next week as well.

Can't wait!

When I figure out how to do photo albums on my blog, I'll post more pix!

Wrong about #3 + Human Highlight Film

I said in my post the other day that I was afraid UGA would fall again in the polls after beating Central Michigan. I'm glad I was wrong!

But I have to nominate Knowshon Moreno as the new titleholder of the sobriquet "The Human Highlight Film." That hurdle over the defender's head is just priceless! It ought to leap him into the lead for the Heisman trophy, too.

There've been many, many great backs at "tailback U" over the years. I think Knowshon is the best since that obscure fellow from Wrightsville, GA. Maybe the result will be the same as with Herschel Walker--a national championship.

Does anyone else notice that Larry Munson really sounds OLD for the first time? And seems to miss some details he would never have missed before? Sad.

And by the by, how about the Falcons? Too early by far to tell, but it looks like they have finally gotten a professional football team in the ATL. Just think, if we have 8 perfect seasons in a row, we would have a franchise won-loss record over .500.

UGA rolls

UGA blows out another opponent...probably will drop to #3 in the polls if last week is an indication. Bring on the evil genius and the gamecocks!

Why didn't Knowshon run the hurdles in Beijing? Oh, I forgot, the Olympic hurdles are not opposing players, so I guess he wouldn't have been motivated.

Before the year's out, we'll probably need some of these guys that have played minutes in these two blowouts.

Red-letter day-Nueske's for breakfast!

If you've never tried Nueske's applewood-smoked, thick-sliced bacon, you have missed about the best bacon in the world. It's double the price of regular bacon, so we don't eat it often. It's pretty hard to find here--only available at Buck's meats inside the Mercier's applehouse (best applehouse and best fried pies in the world, by the by, and right here in Fannin County.)

We glommed onto this heavenly hog meat when friends of ours from Kentucky, Jim and Murdena Simmons, were visiting. Of course we took them to Mercier's! As we wandered around the patchwork of shops, we happened to pass a glass front cooler in Buck's meat shop. We looked over the elk steaks and other exotic meats in the case.

Suddenly, Jim exclaimed, "They've got Nueske's!"

Now you have to understand that, though he's a Southern Baptist Pastor and has spent his whole career in western Kentucky, Jim's from Chicago. And his family was from Wisconsin, before an ancestor swapped his large dairy farm to one J.L. Kraft in exchange for an executive slot with what later became Kraft foods.

The result of this was that Jim and his siblings enjoy a former community center--a lodge, really, which is (I understand) the old family 'retreat' near the Wisconsin dells. And a few miles away is this really cool family meat packing business called Nueske's. So he knew all about this best of all bacons.

It's now been a Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's tradition to have Nueske's bacon for breakfast for a couple of years. And if you're very, very good, and take your wife canoeing when she wants to go, maybe, maybe, you'll get Nueske's for breakfast, too.

Fast times on the Toccoa

Gabby wanted to go canoeing today. Sounded like a great idea for winding down from a week of school for her and church for me. Of course, by the time we gathered all the gear, loaded the canoe, etc. etc. it was 6 pm by the time we got to the foot of the dam.

If you know the Toccoa river flowing north from Blue Ridge Dam, the next practicable takeout point is at Curtis Switch bridge, which is where we'd stashed the ugly yaller truck. We wondered if we could get downstream the 5 or 6 or 7 miles to the takeout before dark...don't want to be on even a class II river after dark, folks.

But I'd checked the TVA website, and as expected they were generating from 4 to 7 PM, so the river was in full spate. We decided to go ahead. It had been a long time since we'd canoed, and really was the first time we had gone out without another person or couple in another canoe with us. But I figured we both had life jackets, we both know a moderate amount about handling the canoe, and we're both good swimmers.

First obstacle was going under 515 bridge. Not really a problem, but the turbulence caused downstream by the bridge pilings caused us to rock a little. Then we tried to pick out the place where we tried to help Chris and DeGina Scoggins rescue the lady several months ago on our last trip. Several tree branches projected down into or near the water, but we think we finally spotted "the one." A quarter-mile or so later, we definitely spotted the place where we beached last time and I returned across the fields to help Chris upstream. (Eventually he had to get her to a hospital, and her husband caused DeGina's canoe to upset against the bridge pilings of the railroad trestle--a really close call for her, since she was trapped under the canoe for awhile.)

This time we marvelled at the swifness of the current. Passed a lot of friendly folks doing downstream--it was the kind of afternoon you just wanted to be outside. Not too hot, not too cool, but with the heat of the day ravelling off into a cool evening that promised, "Fall's coming...soon you'll need a blanket."

A beautiful, large bird kept pace with us downstream. Some kind of blue/gray bird with an s-curve neck and sharp bill. Poor thing, every time it would roost, we'd come along and accidentally spook it, and it would go further downstream. Or maybe it was playing tag with us. Also saw some kingfishers, which are wonderful to watch. Despite the current, we saw one or two fish jump. Either they were grabbing dinner from the air, or were trying to keep from BEING dinner.

Debbie (that's my Gabby, in case you haven't read my profile) kept switching sides with her paddle. That's OK, since she's dealing with a sore shoulder. Since I'm heavier, and usually sit in the back of the canoe, my strokes tend to overpower hers anyway. It's just that when I'm in the middle of a stroke on one side, and she suddenly switches to the same side and strokes, we get a big turn and sometimes lean a little more than I'd like. Canoes are tippy things!

Last time we got out at Curtis Switch bridge, we had made it all the way downstream to the takeout point, headed in just right, and then turned over as soon as Debbie stepped out of the canoe! This time a tree was fetched up against the far right side of the bridge (Debbie says it was there before, but I don't remember it.) So we had to go through the second opening between pilings, then try to get over to the takeout. The current was just too quick for us, and swept us right by. Fortunately, I was able to keep us from going broadside to the current.

We went right through the branches of a black cherry tree that hung over the water. Debbie lost her paddle, and I realized we were headed to the far right of the OLD Curtis Switch bridge. This was not good! A lot of snags are piled up there, and I was afraid we'd capsize and be trapped by the current. Somehow I managed to snag her paddle, pitch it along the bottom of the boat to her, and steer us toward a small opening. Now that I remember, that may have been the moment we went through the black cherry tree! Somehow we went between two snags and made it to clear water.

"What'll we do?" Debbie asked as we headed downstream toward McCaysville. I tried to head us back upstream, but even with both of us paddling hard, we could barely stay even with the current.

"Let's just go downstream and look for a place to get out," I said. "I can walk back up and get the truck." We spotted a place where grass was growing right down into the current at the foot of a bluff, and managed to run ashore. Somehow this time I managed to work my way up the canoe and got ashore with only wetting my feet! Debbie could have stepped out on dry ground, but stepped in anyway--her feet had been wet from getting in the canoe earlier!

Our adventure wasn't yet over. Some nice folks offered to take us to the truck, but it wasn't far, so we walked. Guess what we found? Old Unfaithful, our junky yellow Ford, wouldn't crank! I had to walk back to the house and beg to be jumped off.

The lady graciously helped us. While we were loading, Debbie began talking with a former student of our daughter-in-law Tasha (Hi, kiddo! Her name was Cheyenne) We kept the truck running the whole time we loaded, then retreived the van from the putin point near the dam. Altogether a great trip, even if my back's sore near my shoulder blades.

Oh, and the title of this post? We made it from the dam to Curtis Switch takeout in an hour and a quarter. So we were going downstream faster than a brisk walk!

The Big Box store

Well, as you could have guessed, we went to Sam's Club yesterday afternoon. When we lived in Athens, Debbie used to call it the $100 store, since we rarely went there that we didn't spend that amount...those were the days! Wish we could get out of there for that little now!

Yes, honey, it was all stuff we needed, I know. Mostly groceries. And then of course on the way home, we stopped at Kroger in Jasper to get the stuff that Sam's Club didn't have (or didn't have the right brand/kind, like our specialized cat food).

At least if I go back to Jasper in the next month or so, I get 10 cents off per gallon of gas.