I got the kindling cut up for Mom. I gave her one of my “kindle” wood boxes so I can get a better idea about how much kindling she needs for winter. It is a little late this winter to do this test. I should have enough time to get a two week “baseline” kindling use for the test. If it cold and snowy or just cool and damp it takes about the same amount of kindling to start the wood stove everyday.
I have to say both the axe and hatchet preformed great cutting wood after my first try at sharpening an axe properly. It helps that I’m picking out wood chunks without knots or warped grain that “looks” easier to split, but the axe did great splitting the Douglass fir into smaller chunks. The hatchet was great as it cut through some small hidden knots and I filled the kindling box in about 20-30 minutes. This is the first year I have focused on having kindling. That may sound silly but I always had the option of using lots of newspapers to start a fire. Now I don’t, and good kindling makes starting a fire much faster and easier rather than using a lot of paper in the wood stove.
I have a wood rack of the Doug fir that I’ll focus on making into kindling. There will plenty of knotty chunks leftover to burn in the wood stove. I want have a rack or several boxes, buckets or wood racks of cut kindling before next winter heating season begins in October/November this year.
Both Mom and I sort of like burning the poplar I got delivered last year. It seems to burn a bit faster/hotter than Doug fir and I have not tried to split it. I don’t think that job would go so easy. I don’t think Poplar is a terrible wood to burn in the wood stove. The ash content is about the same as pine or fir but the smoke does not smell as pretty. I’d say if you are good with burning Doug fir you will like burning poplar for heat.
Speaking of poplar Mom and I loaded a bit of that wood in her truck. We had to move around a few concrete bricks Mom got from Home Depot, loading up the mill ends and wood seem to work out well. Mom’s porch has a full wood rack and full kindling box. I know good that feels to have that job done. Also had bad it can feel to watch those racks get empty. Don’t worry we still have plenty of wood to burn. My pile is good to go for this spring and Mom still has some lodge pole pine to burn. I don’t have two years worth of wood for heating stored. I’m workin to have more on hand but I’m not there yet. Like most preppers just give me another season, another year and then I’ll be ready.
Cottenelle tissue is so bad it is going into my barter/trade stock. Family Dollar brand is better than this horrible product. Quilted Northern tissue paper is only slightly better than Cottenelle. Charmin is over priced and it’s Charmin basic is worst than most generic brands. I’ll use a sponge or wipe rag before I’ll buy or support the corporations that provide such a terrible product again.
We need a Trust Buster like Theodore Roosevelt to break up these big conglomerates. Protecting the civil rights is the business of the government. All banks are chartered by the government. So why aren’t 2nd amendment rights protected by the banks via the government charter? Owning a gun is right equal to free speech or freedom of religion. Gosh I’m going on a tangent. Think about it why is owning a gun of any type open to debate? Well that might not be a good example as many of the amendments in the Bill of Rights have taken quite a beating lately.
That is my rant, if you use a TBTF bank you are an idiot. You are also paying to undermining your rights. You do you!
