Wood hunting season
It’s October 1st, and you guys know what that means, right? It’s the opening day of the permit-only firewood cutting season. And believe me, it’s competitive. My husband already went on a recon mission a few weeks ago to scout the area where we’re allowed to cut dead and down oak. Oak makes for the longest-burning, best-smelling logs (at least in my part of the world), so there are always several other hunters out there with their trucks and trailers and chain saws trying to nab the best trees. What you want is a large one with lots of branches for smaller starter pieces, and a dead but not rotten trunk for the bigger logs.
We’ll be taking the dogs, of course, because this is a grasshopper-chasing event for them, and I have to tell you I’m feeling a lot better about their roaming around after that snake-breaking class a few weekends ago. So if I see Bear leap a few feet in the air and speed off in a new direction, I’ll be able to guess he smelled a rattler. Then the trick is just figuring out where.
Just to show you some of the strange elements of my life right now, we have to leave a little later than we usually do because this morning I’m doing a radio interview on the Jim Scott Morning Show in Cincinnati. My phone should be ringing in a little while, and I’m guessing it will be about a 5 to 10-minute interview. I saw on the station’s website that last month Jim Scott interviewed, among others, Michael Palin (who’s on my List of 30!), Dave Barry, and Alan Alda. Hot dang, how did I get to be part of that group? Gee, no pressure to be funny!
Anyway, hope you’re all as happy as I am that October is finally here. Even though it’s still hot where I live, psychologically I can believe it’s Fall. Woodcutting season always signals that for me. Soon I will get to be Fleece Girl again!
Enjoy your day, woodcutting or not.
Technorati Tags: Woodcutting, Firewood Opening Season, Jim Scott Morning Show
October 1st, 2007 at 9:43 am
I like oak, but I like mesquite too and fortunately for me this year, the previous owners left a great woodpile, and with all the yard work I’ve done, I am good to go for the fireplace season. Can’t wait unitl it’s actually cold enough to put one on.
October 1st, 2007 at 11:15 am
No birch in your part of the world? Or hickory? Those are the two that do it for me. Especially the birch. There is no better smell on a cold winter day than throwing a piece of birch on the fire. Unless you’re mulling some cider on the woodstove when you throw that piece of birch in . . .
October 1st, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I’m not sure I consider wood hunting a sport unless you arm the trees and give them their own way to score points.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Well, then the trees would win. They’re bigger.
October 1st, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I have never heard of “firewood-cutting season.” Maybe because we have yet to take advantage of our fireplace and we’ve spent five “winters” here. I put that in quotation marks because winter in Georgia is mostly a misnomer.
I do love October, though! It’s my favorite month of the year. The girls and I sat on the front lawn again today, with the trees shading us and the breeze blowing leaves on a wild ride. It was the perfect first day of October. I was so inspired that we went ahead and got out our scarecrows and foam pumpkins. We’ll head to the pumpkin patch before too long!
Cool stuff on the interview, Robin! Speaking of interviews, I’m still waiting to see one of those from NYC. The link for the Sassy, Sexy, Smart site still hasn’t shown your name. What gives?
October 1st, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Kelley, I have no idea what gives on SSS, but don’t get too anxious. That was my last interview of the day, and I might have been a little . . . odd. I don’t really remember. We’ll just have to see.
Love the description of your fall day! It’s still warm here, too, so not really fall, but I can certainly pretend.
Deborah, that new house you bought this year just sounds better and better! Your own mesquite wood pile? Sweet!
BJ, I’m not sure if I’ve ever even seen a hickory tree, let alone smelled the logs burning. But I love the names birch and hickory–they sound so foodie.
Patrick, you make an excellent point. I’m sure the Space Lord has a whole other plan for how the Circle of Life should go.
Adrienne, I believe you are correct. Look at how well Treebeard and co. did.
October 1st, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Kelley, I have no idea what gives on SSS, but don’t get too anxious. That was my last interview of the day, and I might have been a little . . . odd. I don’t really remember. We’ll just have to see.
Love the description of your fall day! It’s still warm here, too, so not really fall, but I can certainly pretend.
Deborah, that new house you bought this year just sounds better and better! Your own mesquite wood pile? Sweet!
BJ, I’m not sure if I’ve ever even seen a hickory tree, let alone smelled the logs burning. But I love the names birch and hickory–they sound so foodie.
Patrick, you make an excellent point. I’m sure the Space Lord has a whole other plan for how the Circle of Life should go.
Adrienne, I believe you are correct. Look at how well Treebeard & Co. did.