Sunday Stroke Survival: So I'm Hobbling Around the Homestead...

 in an ill fitting AFO, mismatched shoes, and a broken foot picking up kindling for the wood stove. I'm dragging the 55-gallon trashcan (1 of 3) behind me. No word yet on when I get the new one. I'm making my way towards one of six brush piles we make during the year. I know by the end of winter that four of these piles will be empty, all the leaves will have decomposed and fresh compost will be ready to fertilize the garden, before renewing another brush pile on top. When you live on two acres of heavily treed land, there's no shortage of twigs and branches (and even trees) that fall or are cut down during the year.

We have no shortage of various sized kindling to burn each winter. We strategically placed each pile no more than 10' from the house so they are easy to get to. We've placed firewood stations 5' from either the front or back doors of the house. Each will hold two cords of split firewood. We've rarely gone through four cords of firewood a winter. Kindling is any branch under two inches in diameter. I can easily snap up to 1 1/2" diameter branches under my affected arm. Up to 2" diameter branches by stomping on it with my unaffected foot. I can bench press 100 lbs with my unaffected foot and 40 lbs with my affected foot so long as I can hold onto something for balance.          ** Looks can be deceiving. This pile is 5' tall and 9-10' wide.

My method of picking up kindling is different than my able-bodied roommate. I'll break the twigs and branches into 1' sections before I put it in the can. Mel puts lengths up to 5' into the can to be broken up as she needs it. If I had use of both hands and both legs, I could get away with doing it too, but I don't. Plus, I don't end up with a lot of pieces that I can't break that has to be carried out for the saw to cut. I simply put these pieces over by the saw in a pile unto themselves. To me, it's less steps over all, but that's just me.

There's a method to our madness when it comes to these piles. 

• By sorting fallen branches this way, the home place looks fairly kept up during the year.
• By strategically placement of these piles, they are easy to get to.
• There is good air flow between the branches so they dry quicker... even after a rain storm.
• You can easily fill 55-gallon trashcans with kindling. A kind of one-stop-shopping.
• We can easily pick and choose from a variety of sizes.
• It's a year long compost pile in the making with addition of new branches after every storm.
• Loads of fresh composted fertilizer each spring to replenish garden beds.

Yes, it far easier to grab twigs and branches from piles than walking the whole two acres and search for them each winter. I'm so glad I thought of this evolution after the first winter I was here. When Mel has the time to spare, she'll break out her electric chain saw and chop the 3" or larger branches into 18" lengths and this is our firewood for late spring and early fall burning. Any branches or small trees over 6" in diameter gets stacked towards next year's firewood needs into a fourth firewood rack. She'll whittle away at the longer branches bit by bit as she gets time.

I'm still trying to configure a harness to help hold the chainsaw steady for me to use one handed. Until then, a chop saw works well. I use multiple clamps to help stabilize the branches as I cut. One way or another things get done before we need to use them. 

Nothing is impossible.