Bringing Our Logs to the Mill

The log truck showed up an hour early this morning in the pouring rain. He got here at 7:00 instead of 8:00 so the photos are not great because I just I grabbed my crutches and cell phone to take photos with. I didn't have time to get the big camera out. 

 First he grabbed the small pile of new logs by the house.

 He was a really nice guy, he even sorted out the hardwood we will cut for firewood into one pile and grabbed the brush from over the bank where the chicken run is going to go and moved in up by the shed. That will make things so much easier for us when we build the coop and run for the chickens.

All done under the watchful eye of Don ;-)

 Then he headed over to the barn where we had two piles of logs that didn't get milled up last time the mill was here. Don and I are so happy to get those piles of logs out of the barn dooryard.

  We wanted to get some "blue stain" on these logs so we let them sit for a season. Blue stain is a fungus that colors the wood with a pretty blue grey color and we really like the variation in color it leaves on the lumber.

 This is the company that trucked the logs for us. This guy was great, I would highly recommend him!

 Last couple of small logs getting stacked on the truck.

 The trucker was following Don to the guys house that has the mill. 

When these logs come back they will be lumber! Very satisfying. 

Trees into Lumber

The log truck is coming tomorrow morning to pick up some of our logs to bring to the mill. Don spent the day cutting up and dragging out some of the logs from the trees we dropped the other day. We also have another pile of logs at the barn they will be taking to the mill. I'm still on crutches so I'm not much help but I came out to watch. Looking forward to having the pile of logs over by the barn gone to free up some of the barnyard space. 

Cutting up and sorting out the millable logs from the logs that will be chipped

This was a tall multi-trunk pine and the 2 trunks were married for a span but there is still some good millable lumber here. I'm hobbling around the site with my crutches.

I ended up climbing over that log with my crutches to see the other trees that were downed in the woods. Don was not happy with me for doing that :-)

Don hooked the logs to the van with a chain instead of the tractor because it can pull so much faster that the logs are less likely to get hung up. 

Pulling one of the logs with a chain and the van

Moving the logs out of the way so he can pull another one

Don taking a well deserved break

The Splendor of Spring in VT, Songbirds, Lady Slippers etc.

 There is so much to love about Spring in Vermont! Here is a sampling of photographs I have taken this month (May 2016) You can click on photos to see full screen image.

Baltimore Oriole

 Bumble Bee

Dark Eyed Junco collecting Dog fur from our door mat

Tiny Dog fur nest that the wind blew down

Blue Jay 

 Cardinal 

 Chipmunk eating an acorn

 Common Yellow Throat

 Common Yellow Throat

 Eastern Kingbird 

Fluffy Coltsfoot Seeds

 Lady Slipper Orchid

 Lady Slipper Orchid

 Proud Mam and Papa Canadian Geese

 Canadian Gosling

 Common Grackle

 First leaves

Heron

 House Sparrow

Female Red Winged Blackbird

 Killdeer

 Killdeer

 Sandpiper and Red Winged Blackbird

 New Leaves

 Raven

 Red Winged Blackbird

 Female Red Winged Blackbird

 Sandpiper & reflection

 Sandpiper

 Swallow

 Yellow Warbler

 Frogs eggs

Tadpole