As fall arrives that means two things in this household, deer hunting and cutting firewood to heat the house for the winter.

If you want to know just how old you are getting, try riding a big Stihl chainsaw for 8 hours, fell a few oak trees, cut it up into 20-24″ chunck, split it up (gave up on the axe and moved to a log splitter), stack it in the truck haul it home and unload and restack it for the winter. It doesn’t seem that long ago I was able to get up at the crack of dawn and work until sundown for 2-3 days straight without any ill effects…. Tonight I have been trying to find a muscle or joint in my body that is not screaming in pain… haven’t yet found one.

Really just scratched the surface for what we’ll need to get through the winter, guessing at best 3-4 cords are done, still need at least another 10-12 to make it through March. We like it nice and toasty (90ish) through the winter so the woodstove gets a good workout that’s for sure. She’s treated us very well for the last five years, though now due to be retired and replaced for the house anyhows. I’ll move it out to the garage and set it up there so I can have some real heat when I need to work out there. I just can’t see paying the gas company nearly $2 a gallon, thats over $800 to fill the tank of LP gas, that just doesn’t produce the heat we have grown accustomed to. I’d rather drop that chunk of change on a really nice woodstove.

Am I just that old and out of shape or is the workload just too much for this beat up ol’ body. I lean towards thinking it’s related to the 15 years of abuse I put it through while in the Army, though still able to outdo just about 18 year old ‘kids’ that were 1/2 my age with ease. Now I just don’t think so.

If it wasn’t for my 14yo daughter helping me I’d likely still be out there trying to get it done. Think it’s time I allow her a weekend ‘day’ date, under close supervision and keep him gainfully employed the entire time…. under penalty of the business end a chain saw or axe should there be any thoughts of anything but cutting and hauling firewood :) Kniving, but it’d work.

Fingers are now exhausted too, so I’ll call it a night.