Substack theatricals might be the next good use of audio and video while we perform favorite characters. Thanks for the idea! 💡 I’d watch your Titania revival, wearing my best furze. ;-)
Stumps sometime make me a little sad, especially when I see an orchard uprooted. There is a verse in the Old Testament about how, during the passion unleashed by warfare, orchards must be spared from destruction because war must have boundaries. I always liked that thought. Of course, it would be ideal to finally give up the habit of warfare, but we aren’t there yet.
I am experimenting on how to remove stumps without a lot of violence and noise. I found that if a stump is cut into six sections like a pie, and a small fire is started in the center, they will burn intensely for hours. Sometimes one round of the process will burn the stump to ground level and sometimes it takes more than one fire to do the job.
I like your low-noise stump removal process. If there must be stumps, your method sounds resourceful and even meditative, though keeping a few as eco-hubs works when it’s possible.
A colleague in the History department has written a book about the environmental consequences of the U.S. Civil War. The O.T. Verse was wise for recognizing that in a state of war, fighters would forget to leave themselves a source of food in peacetime.
After the massive Pioneer fire, my old guy®️ and I were at Pine Flats between Lowman and GV where we found a large yellow pine burned off about 4 feet above ground level. The big tree toppled but everything above the stump was still green and fresh. The stump continued to burn during the winter and left a stump shaped cavity in the ground that even left tunnels where the roots burned. So that was my first inspiration.
Then my son and I discovered something called a “Swedish stove” or some such, where a 24” long firewood round is cut into 6 pie shaped pieces to about 4”-5” inches above the bottom of the round and a fire is started in the top center. The fire burns hot in the middle and gradually burns the entire round, but for several hours, it makes a perfect cooking stove with the fire in the center and the outer edges to hold a skillet.
We decided it was such a fun thing that we made several and gave them to friends for Christmas.
The O.T. Verse also is a reminder that even in the passions of war, some things are sacred.
Sometimes my old guy®️ and I, during our forays in the mountains, come across stumps with parallel cuts in the undercut (the wedge shaped cuts on the side you want the tree to fall toward.) I asked him why the parallel cuts instead of a wedge shaped cut?
He explained that the undercuts were made using big old fashioned man-powered crosscut saws. (I grew up hearing the saws called misery whips.) Now they have above fireplaces, covered with Grandma Moses style tole paintings.
You know the old style of NW logging that involved placing a plank in a cut to lift the loggers up above the ground? Those give me chills. The danger of cutting on a plank is dizzying to me. Misery whips indeed!
In Malawi, they cut lumber with a pit saw setup. The log was on a trestle high enough for one guy to stand under and another on the top end on the saw, up and down, up and down, all day. They cut approximately straight, because theyvsuse a string coat in charcoal dust
A reclamation of family history with your father's idiosyncratic character center stage romancing the reader.
...beautiful words...thank you...
Titania here (I played her, lifetimes ago). Magic is afoot in this piece. Furze on first, and much else.
Substack theatricals might be the next good use of audio and video while we perform favorite characters. Thanks for the idea! 💡 I’d watch your Titania revival, wearing my best furze. ;-)
This is truly enchanting, Tara! 💖 I hope to one day visit these marvelous stumps!
Oh, yes, I think you and the stumps and the orchard would get along very well! 🌓 🌲
Stumps sometime make me a little sad, especially when I see an orchard uprooted. There is a verse in the Old Testament about how, during the passion unleashed by warfare, orchards must be spared from destruction because war must have boundaries. I always liked that thought. Of course, it would be ideal to finally give up the habit of warfare, but we aren’t there yet.
I am experimenting on how to remove stumps without a lot of violence and noise. I found that if a stump is cut into six sections like a pie, and a small fire is started in the center, they will burn intensely for hours. Sometimes one round of the process will burn the stump to ground level and sometimes it takes more than one fire to do the job.
I like your low-noise stump removal process. If there must be stumps, your method sounds resourceful and even meditative, though keeping a few as eco-hubs works when it’s possible.
A colleague in the History department has written a book about the environmental consequences of the U.S. Civil War. The O.T. Verse was wise for recognizing that in a state of war, fighters would forget to leave themselves a source of food in peacetime.
After the massive Pioneer fire, my old guy®️ and I were at Pine Flats between Lowman and GV where we found a large yellow pine burned off about 4 feet above ground level. The big tree toppled but everything above the stump was still green and fresh. The stump continued to burn during the winter and left a stump shaped cavity in the ground that even left tunnels where the roots burned. So that was my first inspiration.
Then my son and I discovered something called a “Swedish stove” or some such, where a 24” long firewood round is cut into 6 pie shaped pieces to about 4”-5” inches above the bottom of the round and a fire is started in the top center. The fire burns hot in the middle and gradually burns the entire round, but for several hours, it makes a perfect cooking stove with the fire in the center and the outer edges to hold a skillet.
We decided it was such a fun thing that we made several and gave them to friends for Christmas.
The O.T. Verse also is a reminder that even in the passions of war, some things are sacred.
Wow - a stove! I’m all admiration.
Sometimes my old guy®️ and I, during our forays in the mountains, come across stumps with parallel cuts in the undercut (the wedge shaped cuts on the side you want the tree to fall toward.) I asked him why the parallel cuts instead of a wedge shaped cut?
He explained that the undercuts were made using big old fashioned man-powered crosscut saws. (I grew up hearing the saws called misery whips.) Now they have above fireplaces, covered with Grandma Moses style tole paintings.
You know the old style of NW logging that involved placing a plank in a cut to lift the loggers up above the ground? Those give me chills. The danger of cutting on a plank is dizzying to me. Misery whips indeed!
In Malawi, they cut lumber with a pit saw setup. The log was on a trestle high enough for one guy to stand under and another on the top end on the saw, up and down, up and down, all day. They cut approximately straight, because theyvsuse a string coat in charcoal dust
I still remember the story of your dad running upstairs on Christmas day to retrieve "just one more gift." Now stumps. What a man of heart.
Good memory! Yes, he was. :-)
What a special treat to be able to revisit that property over that time span and see the change and growth. Yay stumps!! ☺️
Yes. It’s a treat to have long memories and traditions in a place!
How beautiful, Tara. Thank you -- and thank you!
You’re welcome, and thank you back! ;-)
Just loved this! Thank you for sharing it from your archives. That treehouse is amazing.
Thank you, Mary. I agree about the treehouse. I think if I’d had one of those, I’d have taken up housekeeping and watched for fairies.
Your parents sound wonderful. Thank you for offering their playfulness today. I’m still smiling. 😍
Thank you, Grace. I’m glad this gave you a smile. 😃 There’s something special about seeing parents enjoy themselves.
What a fun memory. We have a few natural stumps on our property and I’ve seen pictures of stumps used as a planter. Looks beautiful. I want to try it.
As you can tell, it exceeded my expectations. 😅
What a great read and view-- It's a reminder that reposting is often a valuable resource and reminder of what we loved before... Thanks Tara
Your archive is also full of timeless goodness. ;-)