We were right on the cusp in terms of frozen ground yesterday. The afternoon sun warmed up about a half inch of soil and it was just greasy enough to prevent backing the truck down the steep hill. I can picture it now. Jack and Jill slid down the hill to fetch a pile of firewood, the truck got loose and smashed its caboose, and jack decided we ought not have. Over the years Ive inadvertently placed myself in many ridiculous positions in the pursuit of firewood. Smashed truck parts, and massive assistance from neighbor Chris and his four wheel drive tractor, have tempered my dare devil approach into something a little more cautious. The pile of split wood over by the chicken coop is on relatively flat ground, and the wood stack is down hill, but not so steep I didnt think I could negotiate it. The goal was to move a truck full of wood to the stack and pile it, then load whats left of last years stash, and move it to the kitchen porch. The down hill part went smoothly. With the truck fully loaded, the weight added additional traction and I was able to back right up to the stack with a minimal amount of sliding around. Out with the new and on with the old went well enough, and then it was time to negotiate the path to the kitchen porch. There were two goals here. Safely move the load to the porch, and not to churn the yard into snot while doing it. Luck was with me, and the grass was ruffled but not damaged. The last challenge of the day was if I could drive out of there and return the truck to the driveway. Without any weight in the bed, the truck slid around a little bit, but four low did its job, and the truck is at the ready for todays efforts. Its plenty cold today. With highs in the twenties, Im confident I can move the wood pile from the steep hillside and finish stocking the porch without sliding all over the place. The high point of the day was the huge numbers of sand hill cranes that filled the slightly cloudy blue sky as they made their way south. I tried to take a picture, but they fly so high I couldnt capture an image. What I was able to capture was the incredible sound they make. We usually see these travelers earlier in the season. I have complete faith they know what theyre doing, and I wished them well on their long journey south. Im in a little bit of denial about the end of the year. It seems I just achieved confidence about writing 2014 on a given document, and now Ill have to learn the new one. In the big picture a year is a miniscule fraction of time, but as a percentage of our short existence on the planet, its significant. This year I said good by to an old friend Ive know since childhood, and said hello to turning sixty. My grandson turns five in six days and Wilson is two. All of this is not unexpected, even the parts I dont like. Its a real privilege to be along for the ride, and Im ever so grateful for another year on our beautiful planet. I think 2015 holds the potential for anything we can imagine, and much we cant anticipate. One way or another, as long as were living the potential for a better world is in our hands. Happy New Year everyone!
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:58:54 +0000