Wood-Fest '09

Alex dropped off two loads of wood, each approximately 1.5 cord, to go with the half a rank of wood left over from last year. Should be about right. The big problem is that now we need to haul that large-ass pile of wood into the house and get both the dehumidifiers working overtime to dry it out.

This isn't that big a deal; we figured out a system that worked pretty well for us last year. I hauled wheelbarrows full of wood into the house and M stacked it as high as she could, then I came along and stacked the rest of the way, as needed. This year, however, I won't have much help from M as she's working and would only be able to assist on the weekends, which are pretty full of things to do as it is.

We bought our own wheelbarrow. Got a nifty one with two wheels, self-stabilizers, and bumper on the front. That way we don't have to borrow Alex's again (plus, we could use a wheelbarrow for various other projects during the year).

I started today by moving the existing half-rank to the other side of the room. I am hoping I left enough room for the wheelbarrow to fit through the door (pretty sure I did). That hour and a half wiped me out, however, as I'm still getting over the last dregs of the cold I have had for the last two weeks plus.

The other issue is the weather. We have been having a ton of rain and our temperature has been well-below average for a good long while now. Need it to be dryer if I'm going to be hauling wood into the house (with the door open and coming in and out a bunch). Today would be a good day to start if I hadn't already wiped myself out just moving the inside wood, cleaning up, and preparing for the bigger job ahead. The 14-day forecast looks to have some sunny/dry days upcoming, so hopefully I can get some done in the next few days.

There are also plans for me to strip and repaint the front porch railing this summer. Since I've been working and it looks like the company will offer me a second contract to continue providing documentation for them, I'm not sure when I'll get to that. But it needs to happen or the porch might not weather the next winter so well.