Saturday, January 8, 2011

December: My Life as a Sled Dog



I was feeling pretty good about the wood pile back in November, but when the cold came, and stayed, I quickly realized that my lumberjackin' days were not over for the winter. Every couple of Bide-A-Wee visits, I trudge on snowshoes to the north end of our property, harvest some small standing dead oaks. Often, when we get the wood into the cabin and it thaws out, it turns out to be not quite so cured as I had thought. Eventually it burns.

Navigating our bumpy land (pocket gophers) is actually easier in the snow, which levels things out. I put the black strapping around my chest like a harness, lean forward, and put one foot in front of the other. In time I make it back to camp. My real dogs, they just run around having fun. Annabel will often stop in the path in front of me. Impeding my progress is her main hobby.

Back at the cabin I spend some quality time with Pippi, the Swedish axe. The Badgers hat gives me the strength of Paul Bunyan.

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