Feb 27 Buds WTF

The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.

William Cullen Bryant

That man lives in Florida, not Northern Alberta.

I woke and went outside to do what needs doing. Cats had been fed, watered loved and those that needed scolding got scolded.

The solar panel got swept. I looked at my favorite tree. It was in bud in FEBRUARY. That’s not right that happens in May or April. It’s winter out here. So cold my teeth hurt at least -25 before windchill. Just about to have another major snowstorm.

Did the trees have Google? Meteorological winter ends this weekend but not here. The birds decide when spring is, and they were still California pooping on celebrities’ lawns.

I am sure the tree knows what it’s doing. It has survived many attacks, the attack of the billions of tent caterpillars, the attack of the overzealous and premeditated attack by the power company for me daring to go off-grid. The power had already been disconnected before they tried to murder that tree. That story here.

Many winters, lightning storms, a tornado, even a June snowstorm that broke the boughs of every deciduous tree in the property. BTW that snowstorm put out a forest fire that was dangerously close to the property. My black poplar survives.

I typed most of the above, sitting on my milk crate, warming my back on the freshly loaded fire, while I waited patiently for water to boil on the woodstove. I typed on my little phone keyboard while I petted boy cats one by one. I could hear the water boiling behind me. I gathered the kettle and the other things I entered the room with and headed toward the kitchen. The cone filter filled with coffee was placed above the cup and hot water was poured in.

Then the long wait for water to pour through had begun. The temp was just right, you could tell by the color of the coffee trying to work its way down to the cup. Almost empty the filter needed two more pours to fill the cup. The extra hot water was poured into the thermos just as I do every day. Rarely do I use that before the next morning. I tell myself it saves time since that water is preheated for the next day’s trip to the woodstove.

With the coffee task completed, I did the long walk up the stairs to my loft/ office. Petted a few girl cats along the way as best I could. I opened the door and carefully placed the coffee on the corner of the desk. Everything was in piles. I was spring cleaning my office and reorganizing yesterday but had to quit due to back pain. I move stuff from behind the office chair and the wheels got stuck on something, the chair spun and knocked my coffee to the ground.

I am by nature a calm man during emergency situations. And this was an emergency for me. Get hit head-on by a drunk driver right leg destroyed. I climb out of my vehicle lay on the ground and calmly assigned tasks to people who stopped to help. Years later I was t-boned by a pickup on a dirt road, smoke pouring out of my dash, the door jammed shut, window gone I crawled out of my jeep with a broken neck and broken back with my cell phone. I called the police, ambulance and fire. Again calmly assessed the situation called some to take care of my animals, calmly assigned tasks while laying on the icy road almost hypothermic.

When I heard the noise of my coffee cup hitting the ground I lost it for a second. I yelled out no. no. no. I calmed down immediately and do what I always do. Assess the situation and deal with it. Coffee was spilled on my new Ryobi heat gun, I dried that first and removed the battery. No power, power tools can survive that.

There was a puddle on the floor from the coffee cup. 16 ounces worth, that needed to be cleaned up fast, the floor was not moisture-proof, and it was above the tv room. I grabbed dirty laundry and mopped up the liquid. All that dealt with I still needed my cup of coffee. The situation solved, my thermos was full of freshly boiled hot water.

I made my way to the kitchen with coffee cup and a pile of wet laundry to drop off in the washer. The cone filter filled with coffee was placed above the cup and hot water was poured in. Then the long wait for water to pour through had begun. The temp was just right, you could tell by the color of the coffee trying to work its way down to the cup. Almost empty the filter needed two more pours to fill the cup.

I am back at my desk with my coffee. Which did not get near my desk until the chair was moved, powdered whole milk and spoon were in place. After coffee back to reorganizing my office. Then later to chop big wet nasty logs before the snowstorm arrives. Well, that is my day so far how is yours?

Well, I can’t believe I did all that. my hands are shaking and my knees are weak. The wood is chopped and inside. The chickadees have seed, so they can stay fed during the storm the feeder doesn’t look like much, but it is snowstorm-proof.

I started withthe big heavy logs, I knew after the splitting hit wood the first swing. Every log would have to be split using the heavy sledgehammer. So I split all the logs in half. Each log took four swings. One with the maul and three with the 12-pound sledge. Injuries were adding up. The maul bounced out after going through one time and bounced up my elbow. The sledge missed its mark one time and I tried to stop it, which flexed my damaged wrist in a most unnatural direction. That wasn’t fun.

Next, I split the half logs into quarters. About half the load was done that way, great for overnight burns. The rest of the load I split into eighths.

After getting everything loaded. I looked and remembered other heavy loads and failed attempts and spilled logs everywhere.

I aimed the load best I had the patience for, then took a run at it. Not only that, but I pushed with my arms and my belly against the load. I got to the top and it tipped to one side. It was going to fall.

No fuckin’ way was I going let this load drop I made an angry growl, summoned strength from somewhere and wrenched that load straight then pushed into the house. I was in. Just needed snow for melt. And pick up the tools. I didn’t dare add any more weight to that load. I am sure that load was over a thousand pounds and I would pay later on the delayed pain plan.

I am ready for the snow, let it come.