Cutting Wood

A couple of days ago while Brent and I were riding around the hay fields in the Mule, I spotted a tree that was down. It was on the steep side of the hill but near the bottom of the tree line. I had Linda and Stacey follow me across the creek in the Mule while I was on the tractor. They picked up the chain saw on the way and I went ahead with the tractor and a long chain. I hooked the chain to the bucket of the tractor and wrapped the other end around the tree. I pulled with the tractor and eventually broke the chain. It broke near the end I had hooked to the tractor. Linda came over with the chainsaw, so I took it and started up the side of the hill. It was slow going, as I had to place the saw on the ground and use it to anchor me as I crawled up the hillside. Finally, I made it to the branch of the tree that had wedged against a tree that was still standing. I started the saw and cut the limb off, but the tree would still not move. I used the limb I had cut off to pry against the tree, but no luck. I cut some more off, then crawled back down the hillside. I thought my heart was going to burst after that, but I eventually got my wind back. Then I used the tractor to pull the tree down into the field. This was the largest tree I had ever moved with the tractor, it caused the tractor rear wheels to lift off the ground as I was pulling the tree down the hill side and out in to the hay field. I started the chainsaw again and cut a few pieces of the log and lifted them on to the trailer Linda had brought behind the Mule. The pieces were heavy, as the tree hadn't been down very long, so the wood was still full of moisture. It will take a year to dry out enough to burn good. After filling the trailer with wood, Linda drove back to the hay shed pulling the load of wood while I took the tractor back to the barn. Later I went down and started the log splitter and split the wood into pieces that would fit inside our wood stove. After I finished with the splitter, I went to the house and took a shower. Then I made a fire in the stove and enjoyed a glass of tea. IMO - The warmth from a wood fire just feels better than any other heat.