Cutting wood in early March

Today I made time for next winter.  That means: hauling, cutting, and stacking wood.

From the ever-useful Wundergound.

Early March is perfect for cutting wood.  It's cold, but one works up a sweat quickly, warming up and staying warm for the work's duration.  I usually wear a jacket over a t-shirt, and end up a bit too hot.  Falling snow, like today (see image), cools the forehead nicely.

We could use this wood before spring comes, of course.  If we hadn't stacked and stored so much last year (and the year before), and our need was dire: sure, some of the wood serves.  There are a couple of thick limbs I sawed off of fallen trees in 2011 and 2010.  We've kept them in the basement ever since, where they've dried well, standing up against concrete walls.  They'd burn decently.  More recently cut stuff, felled during last fall's septic incident, really needs more time to dry.

From 2010 to 2012, in 2012 for 2013: all of these wood-for-fuel operations are layered in time.  Each cut summons up both memory and planning, a historic nod along with a futuristic one.