RicelandMeadows

After a crazy busy, wet then dry summer, we are finally working steady on getting our maple syrup woodshed filled.

We have the wood all cut to length. I have enlisted the help of my grandson and his buddy to help with the splitting. We managed to split about a third of it yesterday. We are working from two areas. The first consists of wood from our own woods. Trees that were hanging over our fence are no longer a problem and will soon be used to boil maple sap. The second area is made up from trees that were blown down in a storm. I took all the big ugly wood, the stuff nobody else wanted. There is a lot of firewood in it, but a lot of work too!

We are using our hay wagon along with the dump wagon to expedite this work. We fill the hay wagon, then the dump wagon. The horses pull one of them to the woodshed where the wood is unloaded and stacked. Meanwhile, the horses and I then go back to the field and bring the other wagon up.

The area we are working in now is a ways from the woodshed. This may seem like a rather inefficient way to work, but the timing works out well. I get back with the next load about the time my stackers are ready for it.

My granddaughter and her friend are my loading and stacking crew. We work steady for a couple of hours and that is enough for one day. The job is large. The wood is heavy and splintery. The temperature is just cold enough to make a finger hurt when it gets smashed. Not to mention, this is boring work for teenaged girls!

Abby and Amee have to stand quiet while we work. It is a blessing to have good broke horses for this task. The work is steady, but still requires and allows periods of downtime for the horses.

You’ll notice that my view doesn’t change much, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Those big butts make me smile.

I am grateful for the help of my splitting and stacking crews. It is a bit hard for me to believe how much harder this gets on me each year. I really do enjoy making sugarwood. It is nice to see progress and a job that has an end. It is a job that needs done yearly…and so it begins…again!