While growing up on a farm in Iowa my siblings and I spent many days in our timber helping our Dad cut wood for the wood-burning furnace. It was our home’s only source of heat. We watched as our Dad poured a mixture of oil and gas into his dirty chainsaw and pull the start line multiple times until it started up with a puff or two of smoke. Unfortunately, we hauled and stacked wood during the hot and humid summer months.
Today, a beautiful early spring day, I was reminded of those memories. I drove up to the Glen Haven cabin to cut firewood. When I pulled into the worn path of a driveway I noticed there were three young mule deer on my property just below the cabin. I reached for my camera and took several pictures as they grazed cautiously around the cabin. It was obvious I was invading their space instead of the other way around. Waiting until they moved on, I quietly exited the car and got my new power tool out of the trunk.
Growing up in the 60’s, the six girls in my family were not allowed to do things like drive the tractor, shoot a gun, or use a chainsaw. Don’t get me wrong we did plenty of manual labor, just not permitted to do these certain tasks. So today was a big deal for me. I was going to use the new chainsaw I purchased. Just a girl and her chainsaw.
I didn’t want to bother with mixing oil and gas or pulling the start so I bought an EGO 14″ cordless chainsaw from Home Depot. It weighs just 11.4 lbs. and it “delivers the performance of gas without the noise, fuss and fumes.” I had my son-in-law test it out for me a couple of nights ago and last night I read and memorized the operations manual. I was ready to use the forbidden chainsaw.
A huge douglas fir had fallen on the hill behind my cabin from the strong winds last spring before I purchased the property. A couple of months ago I trimmed several branches using a handsaw and began a slash pile. Today I was going to trim more branches and cut them up into firewood which I could bring home to burn in my fireplace at my primary home in Loveland.
Before tackling the fir, I practiced on a small cedar tree which I cut down last week during fire mitigation. That went very smoothly, now for the douglas fir.
Following the safety rules I memorized from the operations manual was key. I was able to trim off many branches and cut them up. It was such a great feeling to have accomplished something which was once forbidden for me to do because I was a girl. If my Dad could only see me now. I think he would be proud.
Because of the grazing deer delay, I did not get everything done I had planned to do today, but girl power prevailed. Just a girl and her chainsaw. I can’t wait to go back and continue cleaning up the forest floor on my mountain property.