75 Wheelbarrow Loads Stacked

The natural cover desperately needs my attention. I like to deadhead all the Dandelions so that a bazillion more aren’t seeded. And the house is a mess, so all I see everywhere are things needing done. But all I want to do is get the wood stacked. 

It was overcast yesterday, which was a godsend as I did not build up a sweat or risk burning the top of my bald head. I got started rather late as we went for our morning walk together first, but once begun, I felt pretty good about my strength and back. I did only six loads before I took my first break. Prudence is the rule. But they were rather easily done, being refreshed after a very long night’s sleep. I retained high hopes of getting 20 loads done in the day.

I took a long break, then cautiously renewed my effort. I did six more loads before stopping to feed the brood and have my lunch. It felt wonderful to see how much reduced the pile of wood is after having schlepped 12 more loads today (before lunch) for a grand total of 67 barrow loads done (all beautifully and perfectly stacked, I may add).

After lunch the sky cleared and the sun came out, Ron came to fetch Sheba to take her for a walk, and I did 8 more loads before they returned. That made my total for the day, 20 loads, and the grand total was now 75 loads. Ron was amazed by how quickly I’d reduced the woodpile.

I decided to call it a day on the toting and stacking after that. I had the energy and desire to do more, but I earned some down time with a book before heading off to Steve and Dan’s to fetch some free boxwood plants and to have dinner with them. 

Oh, the joy of being so close to finished with the stacking! This year was the first time I have not despaired over having to tote and stack my annual haul of wood. Perhaps something wonderful has happened in my brain, because my reaction to the stacking seems similar to my reaction to the garden and gardening this year. Everything is wonderful to my broken brain, and it feels so, so good.

Seeing Dan and Steve again was great. They’ve got a place in Hawaii and they spend their Winters there. They travel a lot, too, so they are often away. They spent a month in Viet Nam over this Winter, and this summer they go to Ireland and Paris (for the Olympics). We had a lovely long visit and they gave me a small forest of Boxwood plants. I’ve to plant them today. I hope they wil live because their roots have been exposed for quite a while.