Mud Season Hell and a Bad Sugar Season

Now I'm no expert on life in Vermont, being a Flatlander and real man in training, but the road leading to our house is exceptionally bad. So bad that I would go so far as to say it's borderline impassable. Granted, it's a small dirt road, but it gets a fair amount of traffic, and I don't think people realize what they're getting into. We've had to forsake one direction for fear of getting completely stuck, it's that bad.

Our neighbor and local icon EB said it's one of the worst, if not the worst, conditions for the road he's ever seen, and he grew up here. We went for a walk up the hill and found even walking on it a bit of a challenge. The mud was so thick and deep that it pulled the boots right off our feet. A woman walking along the road also commented that this was the worst she'd seen, so things are pretty crazy.

The reason I've been told this is happening is that it's become too warm, too quickly. The snow is melting so fast that the roads are taking a beating, and I've heard other dirt roads are just as bad. They just laid a layer of dirt over our road, maybe two or three days ago, and it's back to being a disaster. I don't think even the mailman is going to make it through, and we think we may have to pick it up at the post office. Crazy.

What kills me is that there's still tons of snow on the ground. I just want it to melt and for mud season to be over, but that's wishful thinking, for sure. It's only March, and we're due for probably at least one more snowstorm, if you can believe that, though now it's raining, and that might make a dent.

On a brighter note, we went for a really nice walk up our road, mud and all, and what a great time it was. We were originally going to just check the mail, but we ended up seeing our neighbors, and we walked farther up the hill than we anticipated. It's really nice up there, and for whatever reason, the road is constructed of hard pack, so it's hard, packed and solid. Why can't they do that with our road?

There is a sheep farm about a mile up the hill, and what a beautiful location it is. So well maintained, so picturesque, right out of a postcard. We'll probably take some pics for our burgeoning website, whenever that may be. In fact, I can envision it, even though I still want the pond, but we'll see.

On the walk home we saw our sugaring neighbors, and EB talked about how bad a season it's been. I feel bad, though they simply roll with it and move on. No sense in dwelling on what you can't control. The weather has just not been cooperating, compromising the quality of the sap, and I think they've closed the door on the sugaring season. Done and over, kind of sad.

Either way, EB gave us a ride home on his tractor, which is a thrill for the kids, and we got to hang with his grandkids, M and B, so it was a lot of fun. It's a good thing he's got a tractor, because he drove down our road, and I really couldn't believe how bad the mud was. Amazing, and any other car would not have made it.

In fact, last night while we were watching a movie, we could see cars trying to drive up it, and then backing back down when they realized it wasn't going to happen. It's a tough time, but that's what makes New Englanders so tough and capable.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to stella bogdanic for the pic

The Arrival of Our Wood

Wow, if you can believe it, we actually got our firewood. I couldn't believe it finally happened. I've never bought such large quantities of wood in such an unfinished state, and tackling it will be yet another step in my quest to be a real man. Now all I need to do is grow a beard and eat pancakes for breakfast. Whole wheat ones, of course.

I got a call early in the AM yesterday from Andy, who was coming through with the wood. Being the neurotic nutcase that I am, I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get the stuff because the roads to our house are in pretty bad shape and I wasn't sure if a huge truck could get here, much less make it down our driveway. I have to confess to being in awe of those truck drivers, they are fearless and take those things into places I wouldn't even walk to. They are that adept and confident in their abilities, but I guess that comes with experience.

Either way, I had to drive over near Britton's Lumber to show the guys how to get to our house, which was a little strange, but I think it's standard M.O., not that I would know. I did worry that he'd have trouble with our driveway, which is a bit narrow and muddy, but the guy didn't blink and eye and just drove right in, no problem. You should have seen where the truck was at the sight where they loaded the wood, it was like threading a needle. I asked the driver (for the record, his name was Lance Simons, and he did a stand-up job) to load the wood in a space near the wildflower patch. Actually, it's right on top of the wildflower patch, and though we'll miss the flowers, we had to put the stuff somewhere. My biggest concern was sparing Marty's daughter's tree, and I asked Lance if he could spare it's life, and he said no problem. I marked it with red surveyor's tape to be sure.

Then the fun began. N quickly got dressed and joined me outside to watch, and it's pretty cool. I have to confess, I thought Lance was very conscientious about how he loaded the wood, more so than I thought he had to be. Then again, it ties in with the New England hard work and honest day's work ethic. You do a good job and take pride in what you do, not necessarily just to make money. Sure, money's important, but so is doing the job right. My point is, I wouldn't have known one way or another if he'd just dumped the wood on the ground and left. Instead, he took measures to preserve the integrity of the wood, and again, this could be standard M.O. for loggers, but it impressed me, nonetheless.

Now I figured they'd come with a dump truck and just leave the wood in a pile, but they actually use a large hydraulic arm to lift the logs out of the truck and onto the ground. Before he got too crazy, he fabricated a makeshift pallet out of a few logs to protect the wood from the ground. For those of you unfamiliar with using firewood (I just learned this a couple of years ago, the hard way!), you can't leave it in contact with the ground or it will rot. There were even a few times where the wood slid off the pallet and Lance stopped to pick them up and put them back. Somehow this just impressed me.

After all was said and done, he took off and we got to stand around and admire the pile. It's a lot of wood, and now I've got to cut the stuff up and then split it. They say wood warms you twice, once when you stack it, once when you burn it, but I've found, at least with me, it warms you at least four times, maybe more.

Either way, thanks to Andy and Lance. We got our wood, one less thing to worry about, and now I can focus on tuning up our lawnmower, fixing the house, and getting the garden ready for Spring. Oh, and most importantly, being a real man for my wife and kids.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Everyone in Vermont Needs a Truck and Blue Belt Responsibilities

After all is said and done, I'm still not sure if I'm ever going to get my firewood, but I'm not going to stress about it. For whatever reason, PD said that it's now or never, and I'm not sure why. Whatever be the case, now I'm all neurotic about whether or not my firewood guys is actually going to come through. It's hard when you're so dependent on other people, especially ones you don't even know and have never met.

So I sit and wait. I have other options, albeit more difficult ones. I really wanted to just have them deliver the logs and I could cut them at my leisure, but we'll see where this one goes. In the meantime, GS said he'd have plenty of wood, just no means to transport it, so I need a truck. Who in Vermont doesn't need a truck?

That said, last night at karate, my sensei said if he gets his dump truck up and running, I could borrow it to haul wood, just fill the tank. It's got a 454, so that could be an expensive proposition, but very doable. He also said he's got a logging job coming up and might have a line on some wood, so I asked him to keep me in mind. This wood gig sure takes some thought, though only when you're trying to save money.

Last night in class I had to fulfill some of my blue belt duties and actually teach a new student about what we're all about. I never know what to say, but just went over the basics and it seemed to go well. The girl in question is a natural, BTW.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Andrzej Pobiedziński for the pic.

Helping Out and Sugaring

Just to make things a little crazier, it actually snowed yesterday, and it was cold. We spent some time outside taking care of things in preparation for Spring and heard the sound of chainsaws nearby so we went to investigate. Our neighbor, EB, was out there cutting down a beech tree and he was all by his lonesome, so I offered to help out and he gladly accepted, not that I can do much of anything. Either way, another pair of hands can't hurt, and when doing dangerous work, it's not a bad idea to have another body around. It doesn't get much more dangerous than logging.

I got to learn a little about cutting down trees, and it's interesting when you consider that it takes decades for the tree to grow, and it really doesn't let go easily. Why should it? In fact, it seems to hold on for dear life in the worthwhile quest for survival. Makes you realize that you really have to have respect for trees, they are an amazing thing. After cutting the tree, he realized it wasn't going to fall, even after cutting several sections off, and EB decided that he'd come back and with his tractor and pull the thing down. In the meantime, he cleared some brush and cut some small saplings, things I could help out with. It was a beautiful, cold Spring day and it felt good to be outside. And I was happy to spend some time with one of our many iconic neighbors (they have a street named after them), not to mention a source for future maple syrup. We put our order in.

Later that day, after hanging out around the house, we went for a walk and once again passed EB's house (it was actually his parents-they are four generations all living within a mile of eachother-kind of cool) and he was boiling the maply syrup, so we stopped by for a visit and got the tour. His son SB was there and the grandkids, and eventually EB's mom, the great-grandmother stopped by to finally meet us. It was really cool, and she's the sweetest, nicest woman. How lucky to have all her family so close by.

The kids had a blast, got to play with our neighbor's kids, and they made some new friends. Best of all, we connected with our neighbors, who just happen to be real Vermonters.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Joe Zlomek for the pic.

Careful What You Wish For continued

I got a message from PD that our firewood was coming this weekend, and it kind of took me by surprise. On the one hand I'd like to get the wood and know that I have it in my possession, on the other hand, it means I've got to deal with it, which means getting the chainsaw, the chaps, the boots, the helmet, and all that good stuff. Up to now it's just a been an abstract concept, but eventually I've got to turn it all into a reality. And then I've got to actually cut the wood.

The problem we have is that to transport the wood, they've got to drive down our road, and it's been posted because it's a mud pit. Almost impassable for our tiny car, so I can't imagine what an 18-wheeler would do. They'll have to move the wood during the early AM when the road is still frozen, but we shall see. Just goes to show you, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Hans Thoursie for the pic.

New Look

My wife asked me if my blog was green since it is implied in the title, and it dawned on me that it should be green in lieu of exactly that. Thus the new look.

Hope it works for you, and thanks for reading.

Getting Stuck and Sugaring

The mud has gotten so bad that I'm thinking this will be a mud season to remember. Already our road is in terrible shape, and our driveway is taking a beating. Part of it unusable thanks to my trying to drive the truck through it, and I'm thinking I might have to go in there and do a little repair work. Not that it would help.

We've decided to stop using part of our road and will have to drive in from the opposite direction. It makes life inconvenient, but sure beats getting stuck. I think the road are so bad that our wood guy won't be able to make it through to deliver our wood, if that even ever happens. Whatever be the case, it might take a little longer, which isn't the end of the world.

It's been a busy sugar season by the looks of our neighbors, and we've yet to join in and watch/help. I'm actually not sure how to take part, but am wondering if I should just give them a call and invite ourselves over. They are such nice people and I'm sure they would say fine, but I feel a little funny. We'd love to help.

We're hoping for some warm, dry days to deal with the mud. I've been told what makes the difference is when the trees pop out their leaves. That apparently suck the water out of the ground and ends mud season. I'm all for it.

We'll see how this one goes. Until the next time, thanks for reading.