It's That Time of Year

"Wintertime, when the livin' is freezy" is the best time to cut firewood with minimal sweat.  We still have plenty of firewood left from 07 through 09, so this year I have the modest goal of cutting down a large saltcedar clump that's a bit too close to the Ark.  Cutting it down will reduce the fire hazard, open up a nice view of North Hill, and give us a big pile of firewood for next winter. 

This is one of the messiest saltcedar clumps I've ever seen.  This picture was taken after I had spent over an hour cutting away at it, and you still can't see what's there.  The trunks are covered with a multi-year accumulation of saltcedar leaves -- the bottom layer is so old, it's turning into humus.  Additionally, everything up to a height of four feet is soaked with mud from the 06 flood.  And the clump shown in this photo is only the beginning -- there's even more closer to the river.