CHIT CHAT in VOLTVILLE

[rave]

0mg and I had the same idea. Sorry to repeat her post. So what about hiring someone else who would be less complicated?

Wellll ... I have an easier solution actually. My BF will be here for the weekend. Between the two of us, we can probably cut and collect enough firewood to set me up before this next storm hits. But ... he won't let me use the chainsaw either.

HUMMM - Really Now . . .

. . .

"You're" welcome to steal anything I post . . .

AND - No - I am not sure, just don't have a choice since it is already scheduled to happen (matter of fact, every 5-6 weeks) . . .

NOW - As for "NEEDING" a "Housesitter" - as long as it is "You" coming down . . .
(BTW: As "You" probably already know, the door is always OPEN to "You" . . . . .I'll send Ya' a set of keys . . . Just Sayin' . . . )

Thank you, Uncle - I've only said this to one other person here (Terry), but you are welcome to come visit me anytime as well. It might make for a nice vacation for you if you're into nature. There's not much to enjoy in this area other than that. I think that we could have a blast in front of a campfire at night!! Oh - the stories we could share!!

I still have a childish love of snow, but I think we had enough for now, and it should stop for a while. But the weather is not listening to my wishes, it seems. If it was warmer, I'd go take a walk in the winter wonderland. I'd love to be out there with my camera.

Me too. I love snow, but I don't like trying to clean it away or driving through it. One of my deepest regrets is seeing my footprints or those of others mucking it up. Animal tracks through the snow, however, are fascinating to see and to follow. I love walking through the woods in the snow - especially on a moonlit night when everything is so quiet and still that you can almost hear a snowflake drop. I like it when the snow is crunchy, but powder is more fun to shuffle your feet through.`It's great to camp out during a snowstorm too. The one occurring this upcoming weekend will be too cold though.

My only concern with the bigger snows is my tarp shed. It was supposed to be replaced a long time ago with an actual shed, but it wasn't. The tarp shed is huge and has to have the snow raked off of the top if it gets too heavy.

 

[SandySu]

Wellll ... I have an easier solution actually. My BF will be here for the weekend. Between the two of us, we can probably cut and collect enough firewood to set me up before this next storm hits. But ... he won't let me use the chainsaw either.



Thank you, Uncle - I've only said this to one other person here (Terry), but you are welcome to come visit me anytime as well. It might make for a nice vacation for you if you're into nature. There's not much to enjoy in this area other than that. I think that we could have a blast in front of a campfire at night!! Oh - the stories we could share!! View attachment 290874



Me too. I love snow, but I don't like trying to clean it away or driving through it. One of my deepest regrets is seeing my footprints or those of others mucking it up. Animal tracks through the snow, however, are fascinating to see and to follow. I love walking through the woods in the snow - especially on a moonlit night when everything is so quiet and still that you can almost hear a snowflake drop. I like it when the snow is crunchy, but powder is more fun to shuffle your feet through.`It's great to camp out during a snowstorm too. The one occurring this upcoming weekend will be too cold though.

My only concern with the bigger snows is my tarp shed. It was supposed to be replaced a long time ago with an actual shed, but it wasn't. The tarp shed is huge and has to have the snow raked off of the top if it gets too heavy.

But you have a chainsaw you're not allowed to use? If it were me, I'd be glad to have someone else use it. I could sit by the fire with a mug of cocoa or stand out in the cold, offering suggestions, if he wanted company. A sidewalk superintendent of sorts. I consider myself an independent sort, but if someone wanted to use a chainsaw to cut my firewood, I'd play housewife and be inside making him a nice dinner and opening a bottle of wine to reward him when he was done. I have no compunction about letting someone else do the hard work, and I don't care if it looks sexist for him to be out cutting wood while I'm inside cooking. I'm definitely better at cooking than cutting wood, though I'd do it if I had to and couldn't find someone else to do it for me.

As for me, I bundled up and went out to sweep off the porch once again. Only a slight dusting from that last little bit of snow earlier. But I got so cold just doing that, I crawled back inside to warm up before attempting the car clean-off.

While sweeping, my face was freezing, and I recalled a story I just read in that folklore book I'm in the midst of. A white man and an indian were riding together through very cold weather. The white man was bundled up with all the clothes he had in his pack, but the Indian only wore a thin blanket. The white man said, "I don't understand how you can be comfortable with just that thin blanket." The Indian asked, "Is your face cold?" The white man said, "No." The Indian replied, "I'm not cold because I'm all face." I was thinking of that story while my face was cold, and wondering what the Indian would do in weather like this.

If your shed's roof is just a tarp, to get the snow off, could you go inside with a broom and poke the ceiling and fluff the snow off it? I remember the first winter we came to this area from California. It was an exceptionally cold and snowy winter, so it was a big change for us. It started with a snowstorm of the dimensions of the one we just got, on Halloween! That's early for so much snow, even here. Anyway, that winter, they had lots of little Amish boys up on roofs sweeping the snow off so they wouldn't collapse from the weight of the snow. I guess the boys were used for this job because they were lighter and less likely to add to the weight of the snow and collapse the roof.

Still, our local Agway (a farm store) had the roof of its porch collapse. Someone had just entered the store, and I guess closing the door was the straw that broke the camel's back, because just as soon as that person passed under the roof, down it came behind him with a roar. Lucky he wasn't under it when it decided to give. That was the big news around here for a while.

 

[awsum140]

Rave, back when I was using a woodstove for heat I used to split about three cords a year...all by hand, no hydraulic splitter. I had a couple of mauls called "Monster Mauls". They were a triangular piece of steel that weighted twelve pounds or so welded to a one inch steel pipe for a handle. They literally worked by their own weight for most wood. Oak, if it had seasoned for a year, would fall apart when the hit it, even if there were knots. I never needed a wedge or sledge hammer with them because they never got stuck, in anything, even sweet gum. Sweet gum did take some extra effort, but even that was pretty easy. It was way faster than a hydraulic splitter and all I had to do was stand the log up on end. Monster Mauls are still around if you look on the web and a lot cheaper than a hydraulic splitter.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you use them, but maybe a friendly person would help out.

 

[rave]

Sandy - Love the story about being "all face". We use a shop broom in addition to a rake to get the stuff off of the roof, but it seems to work better hauling it off on the outside. There is so much equipment, motorcycles, and tractors on the inside that it hard to maneuver.

Awsum - Why is it that young folks these days refuse to use a maul? My son will cut the wood up, but won't split it. He's certainly strong enough and he's used to heavy activity with his job. I don't get it. But, that certain friendly person coming this weekend will use a maul. He's old school and doesn't need a log splitter.

 

[rave]

I spotted this tool at Harbor Freight (on of my favorite stores!) and wondered if anyone here had used anything like it. It might be something that I could handle myself.

http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-slide-log-splitter-93360.html

 

[rave]

Oh yeah - Sandy, I forgot to mention: I'd rather be out there instead of inside cookin' dinner. I don't care about possible sexism. Pffft! However, I know where the dead oaks, elms, and hickory trees are located. And I can gather the smaller stuff and kindling while the heavy work is being done.

And ... he's a much better cook than I am.

 

[SandySu]

I spotted this tool at Harbor Freight (on of my favorite stores!) and wondered if anyone here had used anything like it. It might be something that I could handle myself.

http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-slide-log-splitter-93360.html

It looks good, got good reviews. Why not give it a try? Someone said you need elbow grease. Got that? You could probably do a little at a time and when you get tired, just take a rest and then go back at it. I like the idea it doesn't need power to operate. Too many things these days need fuel or batteries or whatever. Nothing beats the old crank pencil sharpeners and the manual can openers!

 

[SandySu]

Oh yeah - Sandy, I forgot to mention: I'd rather be out there instead of inside cookin' dinner. I don't care about possible sexism. Pffft! However, I know where the dead oaks, elms, and hickory trees are located. And I can gather the smaller stuff and kindling while the heavy work is being done.

And ... he's a much better cook than I am.

OK, I can see that. Will he cook for you after he splits your logs? If so, he's a keeper!

 

[SandySu]

Oh, Rave, I just had a thought when you mentioned knowing where the trees are. That sounds like it might not be close to home. Do you have a sled? Then you could pile the logs and kindling and whatever onto the sled and pull the load home. Easier than carrying armloads and having to make multiple trips through the snow. If you don't have a sled, maybe your friend has one he could bring with him.

I guess you can tell I'm lazy. I wouldn't mind someone else doing the heavy work, and I'd use a sled. Some people say I'm efficient, but I think if you're lazy enough, you think of shortcuts to save work.

 

[Qew]

I came across this video someplace around here not too long ago, seems appropriate to the conversation. Mr. Q, who is experienced in this kind of thing, said this would probably work best with nice straight grained wood, he wasn't too sure about super hard woods being as easy as the video makes it seem. Also, really low temps probably allow the wood to split easier. Seems like a good idea.

 

[JerryRM]

I have one of those 3-sided mauls. It worked great, when I was heating with a log stove. It's in my garage, somewhere. lol. I used it with a sledgehammer. One shot and those logs were in pieces.

 

[rave]

Oh, Rave, I just had a thought when you mentioned knowing where the trees are. That sounds like it might not be close to home. Do you have a sled? Then you could pile the logs and kindling and whatever onto the sled and pull the load home. Easier than carrying armloads and having to make multiple trips through the snow. If you don't have a sled, maybe your friend has one he could bring with him.

I guess you can tell I'm lazy. I wouldn't mind someone else doing the heavy work, and I'd use a sled. Some people say I'm efficient, but I think if you're lazy enough, you think of shortcuts to save work.

Efficiency is a good thing!! We now have logging roads all through these woods in addition to the original drive in and the driveway that Dave put in to his home site. My friend has a pickup truck and loves to drive in through forest even without trails. Yay for efficiency!

 

[JerryRM]

Oh, Rave, I just had a thought when you mentioned knowing where the trees are. That sounds like it might not be close to home. Do you have a sled? Then you could pile the logs and kindling and whatever onto the sled and pull the load home. Easier than carrying armloads and having to make multiple trips through the snow. If you don't have a sled, maybe your friend has one he could bring with him.

I guess you can tell I'm lazy. I wouldn't mind someone else doing the heavy work, and I'd use a sled. Some people say I'm efficient, but I think if you're lazy enough, you think of shortcuts to save work.

That's not lazy, Sandy, that's being smart.

 

[rave]

I came across this video someplace around here not too long ago, seems appropriate to the conversation. Mr. Q, who is experienced in this kind of thing, said this would probably work best with nice straight grained wood, he wasn't too sure about super hard woods being as easy as the video makes it seem. Also, really low temps probably allow the wood to split easier. Seems like a good idea.

Holy cow! That's impressive!!!

 

[3mg Meniere]

Also, really low temps probably allow the wood to split easier. Seems like a good idea.

I overheard an Amish guy talking about splitting firewood in real cold temps, and the sharp sound it made. Made me think that water crystals in the wood would make it more brittle.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

We just spent two hours cleaning up the driveway, sidewalks and deck. I spent the majority of the time at the south end of a north bound snow blower. We got about eight inches, I guess, which wasn't hard to handle since it's very fluffy because it's so darn cold. It's hard to tell with the drifting. It has warmed up to 22 so far, but tonight is supposed to get down to around 5 or so. Now there's another storm for next Thursday, tentatively anyway. Is it Spring yet?????

Am I the only one that see the irony in a bunch of scientists investigating global warming getting stuck in the ice?

Nope. I've been laughing every time they show it on the news since the day they got stuck.

 

[awsum140]

Q, if you need it that small it'll burn too fast!

Rave, I don't know about that tool from Harbor Freight. The specs on it are just a "tad" off, 2" high and a weight of .38 pounds seems a little on the tiny side to me for use on a log, but that's probably a mistake when they entered the data. It might work on seasoned hard woods, but fresh cut would probably give it problems.

This is more like what I used, but the ones I had weighed 18 pounds for the big model and 8 pounds for the "light weight" one.
Amazon.com: Truper 32415 12-Pound Splitting Maul with 27-Inch Steel Handle, Red: Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[SandySu]

Q, if you need it that small it'll burn too fast!

You're talking about the video, right? If you wanted larger pieces, why couldn't you just make less cuts? I'm no woodchopper, but that seems reasonable. Is there anything wrong with my logic? I thought the concept was neat. The kind of stuff I like to do to save time & trouble.

 

[celticluvr]

Okay Y'all its gonna be really cold in Alabama this coming week! One day it will be 5 degrees! I mean we are only 4 hours away from Florida for goodness sake! I know y'all Yankees(no offense intended my mama and Grandma are from upstate New York) are used to colder winters but jeez! See for the most part (as Mama described to me) y'all got the cold without the wet(moisture) in the air we got all the humidity in the summer and the 'wet' cold in the winter. I think I'd rather have the dry cold. My older brother told me it wasn't that bad.


Anyway, i just ordered some sketching stuff from Amazon. Should be here Wednesday. Now I know I am not any good at all I just wanted to doodle a little. I wish I was as talented as y'all and my fiance but well sometimes if I just don't think about it and let my hand do all the work I can come up with something kinda interesting. Here is what I got 2 of, My fiance recommended them.

Amazon.com: Royal & Langnickel Essentials Sketching Pencil Set, 21-Piece: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

 

[cindycated]

I spotted this tool at Harbor Freight (on of my favorite stores!) and wondered if anyone here had used anything like it. It might be something that I could handle myself.

http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-slide-log-splitter-93360.html

Read some of the reviews: haha, "good for someone who likes to smash stuff."