Still kicking

Sorry It has been so long since my last post.
Been fighting health and weather here on the home place.

Firewood is my life in the winter this year. Any chance I get when it's daylight I go cut wood (if I'm not sick)
Everyone needs to remember that your best laid plans usually don't take into consideration being down sick, and once that happens the plan goes out the window. Even just a sinus infection like I had/have where my endurance dropped to almost nothing will mess things up. I wasn't what I would call sick since I still could function pretty good, but I sure couldn't do any physical labor for very long.

I am going to buy a Stihl 310 with our tax money.
The Poulan is an ok saw but it just can't handle the workload I need it to. I have a couple large logs I drug up to the house with the tractor. I tried to cut them up with my poulan and it used one tank of gas for every 5 cuts. The saw will cut it in an emergency but not something I want to do every day. So I shopped around online and I'm pretty sure the Stihl 310 is what I want. Echo doesn't make one the size I want and husky is slightly smaller and only $40 less so I decided why not get the best.

We got the van stuck in the driveway Sunday after church. Our 1/3 mile long lane was drifted shut so I walked up the the house in my cowboy boots and light coat and got the truck. I busted through the drifts and run up and down the lane twice. Then my sister went up and down it twice with her little 4x4 nissan. By then I figured the van would make it through if I went fast enough. LOL Well I didn't go fast enough I guess. I had to drive the truck to work on Monday because the van was plugging the lane.

We have great neighbors that come and use their behemoth tractors with snowblowers on them and clean out the lane. One of them came Monday and cleaned out up to the van on both sides. Tanya and my sister got it out before I got home from work.

It was below zero here for about 3 days with heavy winds. I decided if we were going to have Gunnison weather I at least wanted to live there. In case you didn't know we are from Gunnison Colorado and moved onto this farm when my grandparents went into the nursing home. And we are very homesick this winter.
We were planning on building a homestead in the mountains and we still may do just that someday when we can afford to live there again.

That about catches up for now.
Still clinging to my God and my guns,
Randy

Little bit of excitement

We are on lockdown right now at the homestead.
Armed robber bailed out of his car 1 mile from the farm.
Cops have dogs out but we still haven't heard the all clear yet.
The neighborhood was great...
Lots of cross calling of neighbors to get the word out.
I'll let you know how things turn out.
Still clinging to my God and my guns,
Randy

Still sick

I've been struggling to get wood.
I got an antibiotic from the doctor for a sinus infection Monday.
Monday night and Tuesday were horrible I was in so much pain.
Kinda weird headache and joint and muscle pain.
So I have been neglecting the blogs until I am healthier.
I have no stamina to cut wood.
In November I could cut three loads a day by myself and still felt like I could do more.
You know the old saying about a team of horses "leave one good pull in them" so I did three and called it good.
New Years eve I was able to cut about 2/3 of a load, New Years day almost a full load.
Since then I have pulled up three logs with the tractor and that wore me out.
I have to go out here in a couple minutes and cut enough off of them to last until I get home tonight and repeat the process for overnight. Using a chainsaw in the dark is an accident waiting to happen especially while I am sick but no one else will do it.
I have a dumptruck load off slab wood being delivered Feb. 3rd so I just have to hold on till then.
I ordered three all together spaced a month apart.

I really hate writing this because it seems like I'm doing a lot of whining, but if someone learns something from it.(like whatever you do keep a winters supply of wood on hand) I guess it's worth some thinking less of me.

Still clinging to my God and my guns
Randy

Happy New year!!!

No I didn't stay up and watch the ball drop.
Things were kind of hectic here yesterday.
We had 5 Adults 1 teen and 3 munchkins in the house trying to work on the bathroom.
I got off work at noon came home and was going to help but it was a real circus.
So I ended up going to the woods and cutting some firewood.
Dad had been here a day or so ago and cut up the big stuff we had hauled up to the house.
My poulan is just not powerful enough to cut the bigger stuff, it takes way too much energy on my part to try to cut it, then I am totally wasted to do anything else.

My BP was 136/70 when I stopped by the doctor on Tues, so that's better.
I am looking into a more natural method of controlling it. I don't want to be dependent on drugs.
I know it's my own fault from my diet and lack of systematic exercise... although cutting firewood for three or four hours a weekend meets the requirements the doctor gave me for exercise, it hasn't been enough.
As I said in an earlier post middle age has snuck up on me and I now have to take my lifestyle seriously.

I have a co-worker who lost his job yesterday so please keep him in your prayers. He is taking it very hard.
Felt really strange wishing him a happy new year when we both new he was unemployed.

I hope you and yours will take today and reflect on where you have come from up to this point and where you are headed in the new year.

Still clinging to my God and my guns,
Randy