Winter Yard Scene

Gathering Winter Fuel

One of the best feelings in the world is having enough wood stored to last you a significant amount of time for your heating needs. I had promised myself that I would spend the summer months gathering wood while it was warm and there was no snow to contend with. Of course, I didn't get that done and ended up starting the winter with almost no wood to speak of. This past weekend though, I did spend a few hours cleaning the woodlot immediately in front of our house. I managed to collect enough wood to last a week or two. We use the wood in our stove downstairs. It is a large stove that keeps up with our heating needs for the most part. When it is really cold though, the furnace will still kick in overnight as the fire dies. I really want to get organized enough for next year to start collecting wood in the spring and then do small amounts of work throughout the summer to get enough wood cut and split to last the entire winter. I figure we will need somewhere around 4 full cords.

Christmas Tree

Every year we venture out into the bush on our property to find the family Christmas tree. It is alway fun to trudge through the deep snow in the willow brush yelling to each other "here's a good one!" Of course, everyone is yelling the same thing at the same time! Eventually though we find THE one and start the drag home. This year, we had pre-scouted the tree in the fall and walked right up to it.

All Crop Combining

This is Bob D. harvesting beans near Ridgville, Indiana. Pretty cool to see these old combines working.