Oct 26 Wood Ash

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Arthur Ashe

Partly sunny skies were forecast for today. What I got was gray and snowy. All my batteries are depleted solar, laptop tablet. I would have to run the gen today. Still in the box the new carburetor. I didn’t want to take the chance to replace it on a cloudy day. Besides I had enough to do today.

The ashes in the woodstove needed emptying. That is not a fun job, the dust is so fine it goes through my best face mask. I let the fire burn itself out last night so there would be less hot coals. I mean less, the ashes can stay hot for a week. I went out to grab the old galvanized ashcan that I have used for years. It was upside down and frozen into the ground. No way that was going to move until spring.

The ash needed doing, I looked around and could only see plastic tubs. I wasn’t doing that. Then I just about tripped over my even older washtub. It had been sitting in the tall grass for 5 years maybe more. I swept out the dry grass inside, put on my dust mask, hat and gloves and went to work.

I took all I could reach with my dustpan and scooped it into the tub. Outside it went. Doing ash is right up there with doing litter boxes my least favorite things.

Below is my favorite Ash. Ash Williams

While I had the door unlatched I had two very full litter boxes that needed to go out. I did mean to burn them but I had left them in the boys room. And they continued to use them until the litter was drenched no way that was going to burn. I took them outside and they slid on the ramp I move wood on because of the fresh snow.

The first one toppled over then the second one did the same. Undaunted I grabbed the big dustpan and used it to clean up the spilled litter. Those got emptied right over the hot ash.

Next came the feeding of the outside kittens, my birds were out there too singing to say thanks and to ask me to top up the bird feeder with more seeds. The bluejays were stealing all the food and not leaving the chickadees much.

While I was feeding the feral kittens. I spent some time out there trying to make friends. If I didn’t when the next cold spell came they would die. I needed to get them in. So the meanest craziest kitten out there got petted. The rest got water and food.

Back inside I loaded the empty woodstove with the wood I had left and tried to get it restarted. It took a few tries and with the help of a plastic lid I heard crackling. Don’t judge my plastic doesn’t end up in the ocean or in containers shipped to the Phillipines, can you say that?

I managed to get an almost full kettle of water to put on the stove now I wait. I am going to have coffee and breakfast then it was time to split more wood.

I have to quit until the gen is started my solar is too low to use.

Just finished another task. I hauled the rest of the wood i cut and put it under the porch. With a quick stop to finish off a weasel that an outside cat had maimed.

Weseals kill cats this was a little one. It was sufferring.

I havent split any wood yet. And I even hope to chainsaw some more and stack it. That maybe too ambitious. But I will try if my body will allow.