Told my wife last night that I’d take today off to rest and relax a bit. Between maple sugaring, shiitake yard work and my part time job it was an 80+ hour week. Haven’t cut any wood all week. Didn’t even stop at a state land roadside cut on my way home due to lack of time. And it just hurts the heart so much to pass that much wood. Slept in until 6:45. I took it slow at first. Had my coffee while watching a slow snow fall. But it didn’t take long to get restless... So, ya know, today being a slow day, of course I had to chase some wood. Jumped in the truck and went off to check an area nearby where the crews started cutting again. Tons down. First load in, all the handleable stuff I could get from an ash, maple and a black birch. Went back with the saw for load 2 and went to work on a nice size ash. Having lunch now with the dogs before it’s back out for load 3. For any of you Office fans out there, in the words of Michael Scott - “There is no rest for the sick.” I’m sick. I am a wood hoarder.
A day without work...what's that? Even on my "easy" days I still like to do some sort of work even if it's just an hour or two so I feel accomplished for the day.
Took a drive by this evening and looks like today’s cutting was mostly pine overhanging the wires. I would have taken some but it’s all pretty gnarly stuff. They took down a maple, too. It’s only 7 or 8 feet off the road but it’s through some thick brush and hard to get to so I left it. Got some ash limbs though. Small night time scrounge. This afternoon I swung by my Grandma’s to say hi and see how she’s doing. She had her neighbor cut down a couple pine trees way back on the edge of her yard that made her nervous. Even though they were no where near anything. They were definitely dead though. One of them was the pine I used to lean up against when hunting spring turkeys at her place years back. Neighbor didn’t want any of the wood - just being a nice neighbor. So I grabbed a truckload of my turkey pine and will honor it by throwing it through the maple arch. The inch or so on the outside of the rounds is starting to turn but it’s all mostly good still. Some added BTUs for the arch.
i hear ya. I saw you worked 80 hours and that would kill me. The locust would be a great score but has to be worked. Not a park and grab. Sorry, jo191145 says ive come down with locust mania!
All good. Locust mania is a good mania to have! Haha. I totally get it. I really do need to get on it. It’s just a little bit down the road from the end of our driveway. Last week was crazy, yes. Syrup production was off the hook. No complaints here! This week is off to a slower start. No sap in the tanks the last couple days. It’s just starting to flow again right now actually. Checked a few of my lower lines on my way back up the driveway after this evenings wood scrounge. So I’m thinking Wednesday will be a good day in the sugar house.
i always remember below freezing nights and above freezing days are ideal for syrup flow. How much do you produce?
Yes sir. Last year I did 32 gallons finished. This year I’m looking to triple that. Grow a little bit each year. This year more than others. We’ve got a good thread going in the “Everything Else” forum titled, “Its Sugarin’ Time!”
