Spent the Victoria Day long weekend moving several yards of soil (from last fall’s deck and patio footing digs) into a disposal bin; two days of shovel and wheelbarrow. Got a real appreciation for the old railway navvies.
Dug out two of three dead mockoranges; they might be dead, but those (beings having carnal knowledge of their female parent) had 30-year-old root systems that really needed dynamite. However, I had fun swinging a Pulaski axe (that root looks like Boss1 – WHACK! … Boss2 – THWACK! … and so on). Third and largest awaits attention next weekend. Boy, is my left (shovel and axe pivot) arm sore.
Also discovered and removed several items of unwanted plant life that had been surreptitiously trying to take over our hedgerows. Great pile to be bundled for the garden waste pickup; those guys are gonna HATE me.
As I explained to SW, this will leave more room for the grandkids to play – “Yeah, sure,” She says, “so long as they’re playing with trains.” CURSES, I can’t hide anything from the Eye.
Chris,
Have you considered getting a woodfurnace and chopping your own wood??
In the Hillsburgh days I had several large wedges to tackle the BIG stuff with a sledge hammer. The wedges were originally for splitting cedar to make split rails, some people called me a DP - Delayed Pioneer. 
You smack those wedges with a HD sledgehammer and think of your “favourites”. :lol:
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:Ain't enough wood out back to make more'n one decent fire. Besides, I refuse to have any form of fireplace or stove. More bother than they're worth. Insurance companies hate them, and charge accordingly. Former next-door neighbour was a firefighter; the people he bought the house from had had a fireplace installed; he blocked it up but good; said he wasn't about to have his friends visiting in a professional capacity. Of course, I live in suburbia with natural-gas service, so I don't [u]need[/u] any solid-fuel heat. If I lived out in Muskegwindigo, I'd have to change my tune. But I remember Britain when central heating was (a) nonexistent and (b) a dirty word in some circles. Fireplaces (I remember coal rationing, too) made you mildly warm on the side facing the flames and freezing cold on t'other because of the howling draft drawn in by the fire. The "romance" of fireplaces is a load of hogwash as far as I'm concerned.
Chris, Have you considered getting a woodfurnace and chopping your own wood??
The last time I saw General Destruction, he was only a light Colonel.
I heat my home by wood stove. Far superior to any fire place. I have electric radiant heat as a backup, but the juice to run that is twice as expensive as the wood!
Simple chimney maintenance prevents fire. All you have to do is hitch a chain with links the same as you use on your winter automobile chains to a rope and run it up and down and spin it around the chimney a few times and you are done. It beats a chimney sweep. I do this each summer. I usually wait until it is good and hot in mid August before I do it because I am too busy with the layout until then.
Steve Featherkile said:25 years ago or so, when we were looking for a new home, we specifically told the agents NOT to show us any homes with electric heat, because it would be a waste of our time and theirs. Wouldn't you know the first homes they showed us had ... SW was not impressed. (They also were playing games with our stated price range; the only houses they showed us within our range were dumps -- "Oh, but on your income you could afford so much more." We changed agents; the new guy was smart and worked with us instead of playing games.
I have electric radiant heat as a backup, but the juice to run that is twice as expensive as the wood!
Chris…just come over here…only a few miles; one fine evening, and sit by the chimnia beside the cement pond, with four fingers of good Whisky in your mit…ahhhh the smell of wood smoke, burning plastic, or whatever needs to be gotten rid of…
.....the fellowship; the silence; untill some jurk on a motor bicyle, roars by trying to impress someone with his noise stupidity.
.....and oh yes....the aerodrome runway heads directly out over my humble shack......that noise doesn't help either.....but there ARE a few lapses, where tranquility rules supreme.Fr. Fred From Chris’ earlier post I was under the impression that he got great enjoyment from the virtual whacking he applied to his virtual bosses, who, for as far as I could make out, looked (and sounded) like the roots of all evil. Or some other roots! Either way, taking the axe to them - if it is freshly ground or somewhat dull - and giving them a good whacking is a better idea then just sitting there with four fingers worth of “whatever” in your mitt … and getting mellowed out, so as not to notice the air traffic, road traffic or even rail traffic. hehehehe
Shall now return to the garden to carry on with the general construction, looks like I need to rent a concrete trim saw to do some precision trimming of blocks and caps. The old chisel method isn’t up to snuff. BTW when the retaining wall leading to the stairs is done it will have the appearance of a narrowing canyon. It shall be called “AB Jr. Canyon” in honour of the blocks used. :lol:
Ah, yes, Hans;
The trusty dimond saw. We have one here courtessy of a neighbour. It sure makes cutting easier.
Our retaing wall project draws near to a close. I just have to get 60 more caps for the wall, which should arrive here early next week.
Our web page should be showing the progress.....
Good work I see on your project…