I’ve found the free section of Craigslist to be a good source of firewood. I responded last Saturday evening to a CL ad for ash & elm down in Boulder. As it was after dark, I said I’d be there in the morning and asked the guy (an arborist who was new to me—there’s a bunch of these guys) for the address. It was in an industrial park, of which Boulder is chock full.
The guy met me there at 9 a.m. Yikes what a pile. There was an ash, all cut up in one location, then a schit ton of elm on the other side of the building, with a medium size oak buried in the elm pile. I said I’d take it all.
Called home to have my wife arrange for someone to join me on this. Our fire dept. chief Andrew was on my list of folks looking for wood, and he responded.
I filled my pickup and trailer with ash, all I could carry on both. About a half hour drive home, and I unloaded. Andrew was waiting.
We returned to town, filled my pickup & trailer and his pickup. Back up the hill to unload at his place. Then back to town for another full load. With my rigs and his completely full, had to leave three large chunks of elm, one of which I noodled in half to reduce it to a size that could be handled. We unloaded at his place late in the afternoon.
That much lifting and carrying, it was an evening of preventative care to stave off leg cramps (the curse of my elder years)--two full cans of coconut water along with normal water during the day, a hot shower with leg stretches in the evening, and 3—4 big swigs of cider vinegar late in the evening. Slept thru the night without incident. Whew!
Went back and got the remaining chunks of elm on Monday.
Also a friend of mine, Terry, called who has an arrangement with another Boulder arborist. Terry and me went to Aaron’s yard and got a bunch of elm and honey locust. I have way more wood piled up than I need, but what I don’t burn one of my neighbors will. And having gotten back to full form just in the last month after knee surgery in August, I feel the need for activity to keep fit, so I get after it whenever I can.
Terry had called me about a little job at his camp property down on North Boulder Creek. I’m now retired and not taking paid work, but said I’d help with his job unpaid. We did it Tues. His electrical service line runs across the creek to a pole on the other side. There were two Doug Fir trees on the steep creek bank on Terry’s side whose upper branches were tight on the line. He’d had the elect. co. kill the line so we could work around it. I got a rope high on the one doug fir, shot it across the creek, and tensioned it with my pickup on the other side of the creek (rope thru block on a tree to redirect to my pickup). Terry dropped the tree, and I retrieved rope across creek.
Which left one tall tree with the line tight in its upper branches (Terry wants to keep this tree, as it gives some privacy screening from his neighbor across the water). With my Stihl pole saw extended to full length (21’ I believe) I was able to lean out, extend the polesaw one-handed, and had just enough reach to cut each of several branches clear off the service line. It was such an awkward thing that the saw landed 2–3 inches out from the tree, leaving a stub from each branch that I would never otherwise allow left on the tree, but whatever. Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.
Pulled the felled tree uphill into his camp yard with my pickup, as we always do—a block mounted in a tree to keep the rope out of the dirt.
Lots of tree work and hauling but no pics. Just never seem to think of it at the time. I’m all about work, and less about pics.
Got another gig lined up for the coming week. A guy called who I’ve done numerous jobs for, and he’s got 4 Ponderosas to be removed. He said I know you don’t take work anymore, but suggested that if I do the felling and cutting his son will do all the lifting and hauling. My kind of proposition. I’ve said it more than once: I like to cut trees, it’s picking them back up again that I find tiresome.