Mar 13 Decisions

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Theodore Roosevelt

Fill the tires, open the garage doors and I was off to beat the snowstorm.

Oh of course I fed the cats got them water first. But no fire.

I made the trip into town, got some groceries, and some wood pellets for cat litter. Those also had another function, they added extra weight in the van for better traction in the snow. When stuck they also worked great under the tires to get me unstuck. They saved me a few times.

I am outside my fave burger joint waiting for my plant based burger and sweet potato fries. At this present moment I am having the best coffee I have had at a fast food resturant ever while I wait for my special order burger and type a few words. I had free wifi that reaches the parking lot.

It’s my fav because they serve plant based food.

As soon as the dancing Filipina brings my burger outside, ( her husband must be good to her, she is always happy) I will get fuel then drive home stopping at the village to pick up freight from the post office.

Snow was starting to come down heavier now as I arrived at the Village. Most of my freight did not arrive. As I left there the wind and snow became extreme. Visibilty was low, I could only see about 500 feet ahead of me.

Gracie back in her home.

Cell phone cameras never record heavy snowfall. It is 50 times worse than you see here

I was happy to get Gracie inside her home and get the garage doors closed. Now came the unloading of the groceries. A half hour of trips from the van to inside. My back was hurting.

I had to rest, but first I needed to get the fire started. The thought occurred to me that I would have to go out and retrieve the other 160 pound 14 foot full 2 inch x 12 inch board for firewood, after chopping and prying it out of the ice. I Just had to endure the blizzard, you know the one with extremly cold wind and blowing snow .

Then spend time cutting that into smaller pieces, then chopping those pieces into firewood. Yuck

I still needed to unpack groceries. Oh know, I forgot to open the heat vent into this room it was only plus 2 in here. Sore back or not I needed to get back to work. First groceries, no first heat vent.

I did it. I don’t believe I did, but just the same, the board is in da house. And cut in two pieces and both pieces inside the kitchen.

Thats as far as I could get. Now my back was hurting in earnest and the snow coming down harder.

I got my new robe in today, it was paper thin, a summer robe. I put on my slightly melted robe over top of the new robe. I put on my snow boots and headed for the door.

I was in zombie mode shuffling and groaning. I got to the door and looked at my hands. They were bare. I went back for my gloves. I stopped to take a pic of my face.

I knew how ridiculous I looked. Two robes my chainsaw goggles and a touque.

I got to the door and put on a glove the other was missing I had to backtrack. I found it.

I went out to the wood pile. I had left an old crowbar out there, for prying boards out of the ice.

After 5 minutes of prying I got the heavy board free. Through old footprints in the deep snow I carried the board inside.

My heart was beating to fast I had to rest. Fuck it, I figured I could rest later. I cut the board in half midair. I carried half inside then thought I might as well bring in the other half.

Now I am resting, I know I have to cut the boards up. It was a bit to snowy for the gen or I could use my chop saw. Five cuts then I could do both boards and be done.

It was tempting. It would still mean carrying two 80 pound boards up to the wood work shop, then starting the gen cutting and bringing the gen inside. And finally carrying 160 pounds of wood down to the fireroom for further processing. (Chopping)

Or let the fire go out and freeze tonight or injure my back more and hand cut enough wood for tonight.

Decisions decisions, I think I will eat and decide later.

Chop saw, gen, and axe.