Dang it!

I have new photos of lambos to share, but can't seem to find my card reader. Hrrmph!

Dammit!

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Now that I'm done with splitting wood for now, and the ground is thawing, I have returned my attention to tree stump removal. I got my first one out yesterday, and have two loosened, with their bases exposed to sunlight so the trapped lower parts can thaw out. It takes a bit of patience and self-control to remove tree stumps manually. You have to use a shovel to dig around each radial root as far as you are willing to go (not very far, in my case, as my ground is filled with tangled weeds, and I have no interest in loosening the soil anyway), chop the ends with an axe, and then pry the stump out. I've concluded the following things:

1) Don't be hasty. There's no point in trying to dig out the stump without making absolutely sure you have loosened or cut each and every root branch. Otherwise, you just end up tugging and whanging at the stump, sweat streaming down your face and cursing, "Why won't this $%&*ing thing come out??" Then you just have to go back to the shovel, find the one quarter-inch root (I'm not even joking; the tiniest root feels like a cement anchor!) that is halting your progress, and chop it. All the drama could have been spared had you cut every last root to begin with.

2) Don't swing an axe or shovel unless you can swing it with all the strength you need. There is no point whatsoever it taking a weak swing. If you need to take a break, take a break! If you need to quit for the day, quit for the day! A weak swing does nothing for you; it just wastes your strength and can actually be dangerous. You will. Not. Make. Progress. Without decent strength.

Point 2 made me wonder if it were a metaphor for life. Don't show up, I had been about to write here, if you can't give life your all, 100%. But then I realized that I didn't agree with that. Over 90% of my workdays, I do menial things and perform repetitive calculations that are NOT my finest work, but need to get done nevertheless. And that's still progress. When I'm tired and unmotivated and don't feel like coming to work, I come to work anyway, and guess what? I still get stuff done. As Barbara Kingsolver wrote in one of her essays, "Don't wait for the muse. She has a lousy work ethic. Writers just write."

So sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and not everything that happens while working your land is a metaphor for life, despite romantic notions urging you to the contrary.

Welcome to Spring in Fairbanks

If you don't like the weather, just wait a few hours!

Here are some photos I snapped when I got home last night:

The back of my cabin from halfway down my hill:


Trees:


And here is the cookout that the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics had today:

Misc

So I woke up this morning to find the barest hint of snow sprinkling down. It's May 5th. Haha. Good thing I had defrosted a package of moose meat... moose stew sounds perfect for tonight!

Here is a photo of my lab neighbor's electric ATV. He has converted cars, snowmachines, and ATVs from gas-powered to battery-powered, and is on a bunch of sustainable energy committees on campus. He's an interesting guy to have as a neighbor.


Midday edit: It's snowing like crazy now! How weird! But it's not sticking as it's melting on contact with the ground. So no May snowman. Bummer!

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

LAMBSlambsLAMBSlambsLAMBOS!!!!!!









Congratulations to new mama Bridget, and thank you to Calypso Farm for letting me visit and cuddle their lambos. Bridget is recovering slower than normal for a mama ewe, so please keep a warm thought in your hearts for her.

Two cords of wood

Split in the last month. Hell, yeah. Who rocks? I rock. Thank you.

Here is my cord of spruce. That stack is double deep.


Here is my cord of aspen and birch. That stack, too, is double deep. The girls, of course, wanted to be in the photo and show you their best sides.


And Linden wanted to kiss me. Gee-ross! But sweet. :)


The girls hanging out in the yard while I put stuff away. They can't hang out with me while I split wood because they want to sit. Right. Next. To. Me.


Can you tell which way the prevailing breeze is blowing?


Sniff. Snorff.


I managed to snap some nice portraits from the porch.





Finally, here is a photo I snapped on my way to a friend's house last night. The sky had just cleared up from the rain clouds. Beautiful evening!


Cords of wood, like baker's dozens, seem to be generous. Or maybe I have just been lucky to buy from generous sellers.

Rain and Spring Buds

It's been grey and drizzly:



Our trees are seeing their first tender, green buds:






The girls clean themselves like cats after we come inside:


Here is an interesting article discussing the logistics of the distribution of road-killed moose meat to the charity list.