On Splitting Wood

Most of yesterday went into splitting firewood — breaking down the large chunks left by Ed and Walt into something I can fit into the wood stove.  The little 5-ton splitter is wonderfully efficient and not very noisy. But while the "hard" work is done by the hydraulic ram and wedge, there's a lot of physical labor involved.  Hauling and lifting the big chunks, and then stacking the splits.  I was really tired by day's end.  Even a half-hour in Lake Esau didn't comfort my sore muscles.  I put myself to bed before 9:30.

Early this morning, about 4:00, a front moved through.  Stars glittered in the foreground while, on the western horizon, thunderheads were backlit by an impressive display of lightning.  Unfortunately, the storm gave us only a cup and a half of rain — not nearly enough to counteract the drought. •••