Thread: Weather turning hot, wood ain't split

I wanted to have all my bucked firewood split and stacked by mid-June, latest... But...
Wife wanted a new flower bed, now she wants the patio stones put in off the front porch (that I've had stacked up for two years), and something about landscape lighting or some such.
Company last weekend, my sons (oldest) birthday weekend before that, more company this weekend, and a wedding next weekend.
House needs paint, shop needs new rafters, well needs new pressure tank, wife's van needs work, all the small engines need servicing, chimney/roof started leaking, neighbor stopped last night and asked if I'd help pick rock, ain't cleaned out the wood furnace yet, and the friggin' grass needs cutting every 4-5 days.
Did manage to get the Sugar Maple split and stacked, haven't touched the Ash or Oak... and I need to build a small bridge over a drainage ditch in the woodlot just so I can get to some of the oak (old one washed out in a storm this spring).
Now the temps are already rolling up into the 90's... and it looks like I'll still be splittin' firewood in July!

What I need is for someone to add another 10 hours to the day and another 10 days to the week.

I took the rest of the week off from work to try and catch up a bit... but with so much stuff needing my attention I can't make up my mind where to start... so, think I'll head out and split some wood this morning I do my best thinkin' and planning when I'm all alone in the woods.

...and besides, nobody can find me!

Very sad..... you've made absolutely no time for Beer.

My advice: Skip the weekly oil changes in all your small motors.
Tell your neighbor to put his rocks on craigslist: Landscape stones, pick your own, $.50/lb. Help him spend his fortune drinking beer.
Roundup will cure that pesky lawn mowing problem for a while.
Company coming? Put em to work helping split wood, or maybe doing the landscaping. I'd let them landscape while I split wood. If they're anything like the company that usually visits me, I'd rather be away from them after a while.

Usually, I charge for consulting like this, but for you, buddy, it's free, gratis, on the house today.

BTW, I didn't find any mean drunks in IA last weekend. I found a couple that are pretty talented with a copper stil..er "water purifier", and that know how to turn pork loins into pure goodness with not much more than some green hickory chunks. Quit trying to scare us tourists off, Iowa ain't such a scary place. Need to find the switch to turn the wind off though!

I don't envy you one bit. And I thought my spring project list was long.

You're in good company if it's any help.

I've still got a full dance card but the worst is done. Gotta get on the roof and hit the moss with Roundup. Siding needs pressure washed. Darn house looks like a bunch of crackheads tagged it with green spray paint. Got a dehumidifier that needs to be taken apart and cleaned.

The wet weather put me behind this year. I had to prioritize the projects. My brother drove up to visit, I took a week vacation time and we got a lot of the rounds out and split. Still wasn't done; I was splitting for an hour every morning before work.

Water heater gave up the ghost last month. Got a replacement from Sears and plumbed it in. Couple weeks later the well pump chit the bed. There went a check for $700.00. I simply didn't have the time to do it myself. When ya got no water, ya can't wait for a free weekend.

And like you said, the lawn needs mowed every week. We'd have a hayfield out here otherwise.

The garden had to be tilled and planted. The JD and mower had to be serviced. The SheWolf had a couple little indoor projects so I got them outta the way first thing on a Saturday morning, before getting to other projects. She wants a sunflower bed near the back door... I gotta work all the holiday weekend, don't know when I'm gonna be able to get to that.

The little wood hauler tractor is finally done. I was 2 months getting that project wrapped. New carb, ignition coil, super lug tires and other assorted sundries. But it should last for many years without issues. Plan is to get a snow blade for it one of these days...

Prioritize, my compadre. That's the ticket. It'll get done when it gets done.

HEHEH. i hear you on the mounting projects. being a new homeowner i have plenty. i'm spltting and stacking wood, but i want to build a lean-to where my wood is currently getting stacked. so each piece i split will have to be moved once i start to build the lean-to, but how can i pass up an hour here and there splitting? AHHHHH

Sounds like you need to make time for designated sweet tea time

It sounds like my list. Like others have said, just prioritize the most important things. I like the idea of putting company to work, although most of the time that's like herding cats. If they don't know what they are doing, the splitter will be broken, the pile will fall over, and someone will find a way to hurt themselves.

Mine's all split and stacked in the wide open. On a sunny day it sees 12 hours of full sun.

Some pics of some of it, with Billy tilling my garden area.

Originally Posted by Oldtimer

Mine's all split and stacked in the wide open. On a sunny day it sees 12 hours of full sun.

Some pics of some of it, with Billy tilling my garden area.

What species of wood do you have stacked in those piles ? Looks like Maple and Cotton wood also! I love your lawn!

In the close-up pic it's white oak & red oak..

In the nearest pile, red maple on one side (away from the sun) red oak on the sunny side.

Some beech and yellow birch mixed in, but less than 1%.

I do all of my splitting in Dec, Jan and Feb. No warm weather splitting for me. To much else to do.

Sounds like Spiddy needs a little of AS "Share the burden"! A couple extra splitters for a few hours with guys to run them could put him back on schedule. Any takers?

How about asking the guy to help in exchange for rock picking?

You have Yellow Birch in New Hampshire ? I have a wood lot about a acre radius that is all filled with Yellow Birch and I am waiting for it to grow some more. People say around here that Yellow Birch is all most exstinct.

Don't feel bad, your not alone in being behind

Tom

I feel your pain. Was supposed to close on my new house at the end of April......still haven't closed. Now the lawyers have found a title problem that might take months to straighten out. Meanwhile, I haven't been able to order logs much less get anything split. Not to mention all the other stuff I'm gonna have to do as a new home owner.