Lumberjack Lindsay

Today we got our first snow... and its not even October!!!

First Snow = First Fire!!!

One thing I love about snowy idaho winters is sitting in front of a warm fire with a hot cup of tea and a nice cuddly cowboy by my side...

However... The warm fire is only attained by firewood, and plenty of it!  When it doesn't get above 10*F for a whole month, when the night time is 15 below, and when your only heat source is your fireplace, you sure do use a whole lotta firewood!

Thus, you need to have mounds of firewood ready to burn... And this is accomplished by logging trips to the high country!

The road to Pole Creek cutting zone and the coolest fence ever!

A few times in the fall, my hubby and I will venture up into the high country, into the forests, into the Sawtooth pines and cut us some firewood.

Ideally, we look for a spot that has multiple dead trees, either standing or down, and proceed to fall them if still standing, then limb them, cut them into 8ft lengths, and load them into the truck or trailer.

This is one exhausting adventure!

one load down... many more to go!

Although im not afraid to get down and dirty, these 8ft logs often weigh close to 200 lbs if not more! Matt likes to get the nice big and tall lodgepole pines.

The bigger the tree, the more firewood.... but of course the bigger the tree, the heavier the 8ft logs will be... Some so heavy I can't even think to lift them!

I like to fall the trees that are about 8inches in diameter, but even these in 8ft logs can weigh 150lbs.

Woodcutting is when a flatbed really comes in handy!

Needless to say, the day after our woodcutting trip we are pretty dog tired!

And sore... And bruised... And cut up!

Our last cuttin trip, Matt and I both cut through our jeans with the CHAINSAW!!

By the grace of God, we were both lucky enough to only tear a good hole in our jeans! Not even a little scratch!

Talking to our neighbors in this country, almost everyone has cut themselves with a chainsaw, so hopefully this was our turn and we escaped any real injuries!

so tired, but so happy its over! 

But you do knick your skin with the rough bark, twist ankles, get wood chips everywhere, get burned with a hot chainsaw bar, cover yourself in bar oil, you get the picture!

Matt and I, both armed with a chainsaw (mine is a 16in Poulan that I had before we got married... Wouldn't say it was the best brand, but come on... I had this when I was a single gal! Even Matt's friend said I was a catch simply by bringing a chainsaw into the marriage :) - My dad just gave Matt an18in Husqvarna that is a beast) we can really cut some wood! I'm not a huge fan of falling trees... My forearms are not quite cutout for the angles involved... So Matt falls them, I limb them, he cuts them, and together we load them.

hard to think about burning firewood when its 85* outside when your cuttin it!

We have a system, and for it just being the two of us we do a pretty good job!

My dad went with us a few times, and although he is a young 67, logging is hard on a guy his age! But it's nice to have his company, and an extra set of hands will never be turned down!

For this winter, we have about 4 cords stacked outside... It still needs to be cut and split, but that's what Matt's free time is for!! (Free time on a ranch.... Hahah, who am I kidding!?)

We have tags for 1&3/4 more cords... But we might buy more tags.  You definitely don't want to run out of firewood when there is 4 ft of snow on the ground!  We are praying for a heavy winter, and with a snowfall in late September, it sure looks promising!!

Matt and our 4 cords of pine firewood

Picabo!!! Get it?!?! oh i crack myself up!

It sure is a back breaking day, but there is something about working hard all day knowing you will have plenty of firewood to enjoy those romantic nights in front of the fire that make it all worth it! ;)

Or at least that's the line that Matt keeps feeding me...

The woodpile is also a favorite for the dogs... this is where they hunt an endless supply of

bunnies and rockchucks!