Splitting-tire prevents back aches

Old ATV tire is screwed onto top of chopping block

The split pieces of wood stay inside the tire

Bending over to pick up split pieces of firewood is one of those things that leads to back aches. You can eliminate the whole bending over process by fastening a tire to the top of the chopping block. The split pieces stay inside the tire.  It can also save on maul handles if you are one of those people who occasionally miscalculates where the head of the maul, or axe, is in relation to the block of wood.
It would be a good idea to have a couple combinations of tire sizes and chopping blocks. It is great when the tire is small enough that when you split a chunk the pieces stay upright, ready to be split again. However, you don't want the tire to be too tight when you put in the whole block as it expands once it is split and may be difficult to remove.

Dawn breaks on shortest day of the year

8 a.m. today in Nolalu, Ont.

I always try to greet the dawn and this day it is particularly special as it is the Winter Solstice.

Started as a tree, ended as a woodshed

New woodshed is handy to the wood stove in the sunroom

My little Kubota skidded out the 2-foot diameter, 60-foot spruce

Three-point hitch lifted log off the ground. Large log cut from butt will be used for tables in new cabin

A little more than a year ago I started my plan for a large woodshed. We are using the finished shed today.
Before the frost set in, I put into the ground four corner posts made from white cedar trees taken from our property. We had a very large white spruce that had its top broken off in a heavy snow and I figured that could be cut into strong beams that would span the entire 16x16-foot inside dimensions of the shed.
I felled the tree and used my Kubota B2620 tractor to skid it out to the building site. There was a crook in the tree about seven feet up from the stump. I cut this section off to be made into lumber.
Using clamp-on forks I raised the rest of the log with the tractor bucket onto short blocks for sawing.
I then fastened a couple of 2x4s, end to end, to the tree and using a device called a Beam Machine and my chainsaw fitted with a 32-inch bar and ripping chain, sawed the tree into 3-inch beams.
The Beam Machine just clamps onto the chainsaw bar and slides along the 2x4. A small bubble level lets you keep the saw cutting at 90 degrees.
I cut a square edge onto one side of each beam and left the other "live" which is to say uncut.
I did it this way because the wood is stronger uncut and I only needed one square edge to sit the rafters upon.
A ledge was cut into the corner posts and the heavy beam was raised into position by fastening a pulley three feet higher than the posts and winching the beams into position with a come-along.
Bolts secured them right through the posts.
I used finished lumber for the rest of the building: 2x8 for the ridge, 2x6 rafters, corner braces and fascia. There is a two foot overhang all around making the actual dimensions under roof 20x20.
I decided to leave the woodshed open on all sides as an experiment. Experience has shown me that the biggest factor in drying firewood is air movement. Wind can blow through the open building from any direction. Also there is room here for several years firewood and the open building can let me access the oldest firewood easily.
The metal roof was screwed to 1x4 strapping.
The firewood is stacked on cedar poles to keep it off the ground. Still left to do is to paint the gables and fascia boards. We will also put eavestrough on each side and lead the water into raised rain barrels. The rainwater can then flow by gravity through garden hoses to Brenda's flower beds.

My first cut using chainsaw, Beam Machine, and 2x4

Ready for second cut

My sawmill set-up

Beams are in place and roof framed-in

Live edge was left on bottom of beams for added strength

I pulled birch logs in July right beside the new shed for cutting

This is about three cords of birch firewood. I could have used another for this winter

A trail camera line is a lot of fun

Eastern coyote

This buck has dropped one antler. The other is soon to follow

For years now I have had a blast photographing animals with my trail cameras, and Nolalu, Ont.,  is a wonderful place for this pastime.
I have never seen another place with such a variety and abundance of Boreal Forest animals. Right here on our own acreage we have seen moose, deer, black bear, timber wolves, coyotes, red foxes, grey foxes, lynx, fisher, marten, long-tailed weasel, skunks, red squirrels, flying squirrels, porcupine, eastern chipmunk, star-nosed mole, meadow vole, jumping mouse, white-footed mouse, red-backed vole, shrew, little brown bat, woodchuck and snowshoe hare. There is no water on our property or I'm sure we would also have beaver, muskrat, mink and otter. We have also seen some non-Boreal animals. The grey fox would be considered by most to be a more southern species but I included it in the list above because I suspect it was originally a Boreal animal that got displaced by the red fox. We saw two of these small canines for the first time last year. Three animals that are absolutely not Boreal that we have seen are grey squirrel, raccoon and thirteen-lined ground squirrel. I saw the ground squirrel the very first year we moved to Nolalu, in 1985, and have never seen another.
Capturing these critters on camera takes luck but also knowledge of their habits. There is a lot of satisfaction in setting a camera for a particular species and then successfully getting its photo. You learn a lot from the cameras too. For instance the time stamp on the photos above showed me that this deer simply didn't fear the coyote. Some of the photos showed the animals were just two minutes apart. They had to know the other was there.
If you didn't have a trail camera you might not ever know that some of these animals existed.
I would think a trail camera would make a dandy Christmas present for most sportsmen but also for children with an interest in the outdoors.

Cork and I running our camera line today

Haiku for a cold winter's night

mc squared again
converting balsam to warmth
in Einstein's wood stove

The lynx and the hare story

Camera is aimed a bit high and is also too close

Here is what the lynx is hunting -- snowshoe hare

I got a glimpse of a lynx from the house a couple of weeks ago and decided to move my two trail cameras to an area that might be good for both snowshoe hares (we just call them rabbits) and lynx.
The recent snow made things easier by showing tracks. So I moved the cameras again. Now I see that the cameras are in the right area, just not tipped enough. We'll get a good shot yet.

Snowfall is bringing in the birds

We have about a foot of snow now

The snow is covered with birch seeds

I posted a month or so ago that there were hardly any birds at our feeders. Now they are showing up, seemingly because of the accumulating snow. There still aren't as many as normal at the feeders but we are seeing usual numbers in the bush. To date I have seen flocks of goldfinches, redpolls, purple finches, juncos and pine siskins. All of these small finches are feeding on an abundance of wild birch catkins. The snow is literally covered with birch seeds after every wind.
A few of these birds are also coming to the feeders, joining blue jays, Canada jays (whiskyjacks), chickadees and hairy woodpeckers. I have also seen a few redbreasted nuthatches in the bush but not at the feeders.