Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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The remaining splits went in Dad's Defender.

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Here are the Cowkids looking impressed with the morning's work.

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But I said they could have a milkshake.

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Nice work, on the wood, and as a poppa. Learning them kids right!!

No scrounging for me yet this weekend. Trying to finish the water/electric project in the main barn. Got the wire and pec line trenched in and up into the barn. Hoping to have water running later this morning. Then, will maybe electric by next weekend. If I'm lucky, I'll get some time to get a small load of wood in too.
 
I was able to unload and split (down to a size suitable for my parents' stove) right next to the stacking spot.

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The heartwood was not bad splitting but the sapwood was a bit stringy. Not as bad as some of the elm I've seen you guys trying to split but sure needed full blooded swings to make progress. Having not swung the axe for several months the accuracy wasn't as good as usual either which didn't help.

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All done, 2.5 cubes or so I guess.

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As you can see I was wearing the new abdominal guard PPE under my shirt to protect against gut strikes when splitting. And wiping sweat from my face with the gloves blackened by some of the charcoal makes it look like I've got a dirty Sanchez.

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This amount would be enough to get my parents through a normal winter as they typically spend much of it on a boat in the tropics but with the state borders closed they stayed in The People's State of Viktoria and had to burn all the way through.
 
Well now since @Cowboy254 showed up to post pics I feel obligated to post some too. First few loads are from noodling some unsplittables and a few more of uglies dry enough to burn now. Fired up the OWB yesterday when the house dipped below 60°F. And so begins my morning and evening ritual for the next 6 months.
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Sitting by the campfire like I've done every evening since last Wednesday. Wife and I camping alongside the Mattawa river here in North East Ontario. Nightly lows just above freezing and while we are in a camper, there is no electricity. Generator and battery get us through the night and the scrounged pine gets us through the cool morning and evening. Boy it's going to suck getting back to reality!
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Sitting by the campfire like I've done every evening since last Wednesday. Wife and I camping alongside the Mattawa river here in North East Ontario. Nightly lows just above freezing and while we are in a camper, there is no electricity. Generator and battery get us through the night and the scrounged pine gets us through the cool morning and evening. Boy it's going to suck getting back to reality!
7685ad5337a36e4e7af65de5a49d20c3.jpg


Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk
Awesome
 
Sitting by the campfire

Enjoy those campfire memories! I love sitting at the campfire at night when I'm up at the cabin, and the memories of doing it there go back over 30 years!

It has been many decades since the Coyote's played an endless serenade for us in the middle of the night, but I remember it like it was yesterday!

First it was by the tent, then Cabin #1, now Cabin #2. Lots of memories, lots of bottles of wine, lots of melted glass, and one or two of them actually looked a bit like ash trays!
 
I hang it from the neck, skin it, fillet out the back straps, cut the shoulders off (easy, just move them a bit and you will know where to cut), the take the hind quarters off (more difficult than the shoulders, you have to find that joint at the hip and cut the cartilage). Try to do it all with a knife (other than shortening the legs, which I do with a metal blade in the reciprocating saw).

IMO, skinning it is the hardest part. I start the neck, then tie a little rock under the skin and hook it to a come along and another tree. I make it tight, then help things along with my knife. (I usually have to do it alone, and you need about 5 hands).

Unlike beef, a saw will smear bone marrow and fat on the meat which will degrade the taste.

I make my backstraps steaks about 4" long, and grill them rare/med rare. Don't over cook venison steaks, it will become very tough.

A marinate with sliced ginger root, olive oil and kikoman (etc) will remove any gaminess. (plug ginger root is good for ya)
 
Thanks, should be pretty easy being it is small. I am familiar with removing the tenderloins and skinning, just never quartered one before by myself.

I love to marinate the tenders and steaks in Lawry's Steakhouse marinade. I have some on hand because I am marinating ducks as we speak to wrap with bacon tonight.
 
I put the correct serving size for my wife and I in zip lock freezer bags.
Almost had some to put in the freezer this morning Mike. Watched a 3 point and 4 point going at it. At first I thought they were just sparring but after 5 minutes relized they were serious. The does with them were just out of range. Saw a total of 9 deer in the 45 minutes I was out. Also watched a big spike come out and eat cull sweet potatoes in the neighbors field. Don't make any other plans for May 1st,2021.
 
After work (from home....covid still has most/all uk office workers wfh) I went to the garden, lifted a panel out the fence to next door, and started shifting oak. SLightly disappointingly there is little need to run a saw and only the small one as the tree guys have ringed it all and even noodled the bigger stuff...I think they were just having fun with their new saw....ms462 I think it was, unless it was a 500. I had said i was keen to exercise the 365 but won't be much need...maybe just a few bits that are ringe at that annoying 'stove length + 2" ' that tre guys often manage to achieve. Anyway, an hour or so shifting a third or so...rooting around in the overgrown bit and getting to the rings....starting to stack them on the path and so on and 'lockdown toned/beach body ready had a sweat on and called it day for now. it'll be a few short stints over the (rain free) evenings this week to fetch it all from the undergrowth and through the fence to my side. Once stacked I'll get a photo ...it feels wrong to photograph my neighbours' garden and post it on the interweb. I reckon there will be a bit less than i first hoped but might be about a cord, maybe 3/4ers
 
Nice log scrounger Keith. You let the boy drive it? Hope you have lots of batteries for his saw.
He will drive Dad's machines a little with me in cab. He is more comfortable with the backhoe esp in the woods. We have a 536 or 535 now with Bli200, Bli20 and Bli150. Usually don't go past the 200 and 150 in an afternoon limbing.
 

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