I think it's awesome that women are getting in to cutting wood .its very relaxing for me to be in the woods .
We have a lot of lady wood burners, but not so many wood cutters. Good for you. YouTube is a good sight to watch for safety practices. You did good, and know to stay within the limits of your skills and knowledge. With practice and experience you can go a long ways. How much wood do you use/need each year? These folks use a three year plan. A few have enough to last them many years. Hope you invest in a wood splitter and save your back.
Cutting your first tree is like getting your first buck. You'll probably never forget it. However, you will soon look back at it and think it was no big deal as you will get better and better. Really great to see you are out there getting the job done!
Awesome pics , and Awesome job there Kimberly , cut down the trees and fry em up in the stove The sooner you get em :stacke: the sooner they will dry
It is simple; when you are alone, if you don't do it yourself, it does not get done, unless you have money to hire someone.
Yes, I was thinking this today, I need to get that carrier finished so I can get the wood up to the house. I split a big piece of tulip poplar today and I could felt the dampness in the wood. I seem to be getting behind. Repairing the fence in the little valley is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I am behind in the veggie garden(s) as well, I have to get the fence repaired in the little valley before I can plant down there because of the deer. I have sweet potato slips sitting in water than needs to be in soil. I have a chimney to build and a hearth to build and the house needs cleaning. I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.
I don't know how much wood because this is going to be the first year here. It has been a long time ago since we burned wood and that was in a drafty house where we just heated the living area and kitchen and it was with one of those old type stoves that was very inefficient. Dad cut the wood and I helped split it until he died and then Mum would purchase wood. We moved to this doublewide which had electric heat and I have to keep the thermostat on 55F in the winter. Mum is gone as well now :-( .
When that happens, just start working at the next project, congratulate yourself when it's done and don't look at the total of the jobs that need to be done. You get done what you can as best you can.
I usually have about 10 things going at once. Just plug away, generally try to do the most important rather than the most fun, but sometimes give it up and do the most fun, just so you stay enthused. Look back once in a while, to reflect on how far you have come. And take Eric's offer to help, it is amazing what one day of help from 2-3 hard workers will do! Greg
Not sure if this can help, but we have used a cheap plastic sled to tow both wood and bags of pellets, savemoney suggested it and it works GREAT! Goes over snow, dirt, mud, puddles, grass, you name it!! It has been cracked on the bottom for awhile but it still works well. Larry also suggested cooking spray on the bottom so it slides easier. We drug it by hand without vehicles. Since then we have also put the rope over the hitch on my truck, and the atv to drag it, still cracked, and still worked well. I think we paid $12 for it several years ago.
If you have an old car or truck hood around, or can get ahold of one for free, hook some chains on the front load up your wood, use some tie downs or not, free good sized sled won't make ruts
You are not alone darlin'.....I might pick the most important first, maybe compare the price/consequences of repairing the fence vs buying veggies vs what you spend on electricity vs what makes you happy and whole? Whatever costs more money be it food, or loss from repairing the fence etc, work on that first and then revel in your accomplishment !! Do as much as you can this year......in order of your priority list, as the wood you cut now will put out more heat every year it seasons. That might be on the top of my priority list Fantastic advice.....You can only do so much, plug away when you can, thats the most anyone can do, male or female. BTW, did you buy the splitter?