On the Chopping Block

I have to say that one of my favourite springtime jobs is that of splitting wood. I'm still too timid to try it with the axe, but my job is to do the first cut with the wedge and sledge pictured to the left. On Monday, Dave took down the first of this season's dead trees to clear out. We'd been anticipating this removal for two years, actually, and it doesn't really change the look of the place at all. Right now, it appears that we may

have next winter's wood all on the ground. We moved one of the woodsheds from the driveway - where it was decidedley unattractive - to behind the garage. I am moving wood that we split last spring into it. That wood has been hiding under a green tarp all winter. We've learned a good deal about "wood management" in our two years in the Koots and I hope we're approaching having it into a manageable system this year. We anticipate that this year's felled trees are the wood for the winter of 2010. I love having a bit of a woodlot. The sun is coming out and it's time to go split wood!