Last Chuck Tonight

It started off as mindless but fun TV in Season 1, and sucked me in with Season 2 -- just a great season.  And excerbated fans during Seasons 3, 4, & 5!  Always on the bubble as their budgets got cut and they never knew if they'd be renewed.

But I'll still miss them -- the cast defined chemistry.  And they introduced me to a lot of great music!

Alan Sepinwall sums it up better then I can:

Most of all, though? It was, in spite of the potential for great heartbreak given the Sarah situation, happy. And if there is one emotion I associate with "Chuck" above all others, it is joy.

"Chuck" was a show with a lot of moving parts, mixing a lot of tones and styles and genres into a blender. Some weeks, everything worked. Some weeks, only some parts worked. Some weeks, we basically had to wrestle our brains to the ground to accept that the plot could actually work the way it did. But "Chuck" was a show where we forgave a lot because the joy of the show — both of the people making it and that we could feel watching it — was always so palpable. These people loved making this ridiculous show, and we loved them for it.

Thundershirts & Dog Anxiety

This is really cool:




Reminds me immediately of Temple Grandin and her work with Squeeze Boxes (ok, not the best video about squeeze boxes but awesome movie):



Autism Hug Machines

The Day the LOL Cats Died

Figures I waited until after midnight to remember to post this:

Little more office progress

Got the window sill painted, put up Levelor blinds, and a valance:



Should be invoicing a side job this week that will pay for the wood floors...so hopefully I'll have those in by the end of February and can start on building the desk :)

Dunbar Numbers & Human Units of Time

I can't remember when I started having my hair cut by Dick at Razor's Edge...4? 5? I did need to use the board used as a booster seat to fit into the barber's chair.

While getting my haircut before Christmas I was talking with Dick; I'm one of his longest running customers -- having gone to him either 36 or 37 of the 38 years he's been in the business.

It will be traumatic for me when he's no longer cutting hair, I believe in those 36+ years I've had my hair cut by someone else once, when he was on a vacation and his partner cut my hair for a wedding or some such thing.

Dick then mentioned with a sense of pride and awe he had just passed another milestone in recent weeks -- he had cut the hair for the fifth generation of the same family; and while the oldest members had long since passed away he's now cut the hair of a Father, Son, Grandson, Great Grandson, and the grandson had just brought in the Great Great Grandson for his first haircut.

There's two interesting concepts with how humans interact with each other and across time which that reminded me of. The first is the somewhat better known Dunbar Number. Most people maintain an extended social circle of around 150 people; much above 150 and groups tend to break up into smaller units. Or since we tend to live as individuals instead of tribes today, once you hit 150 you'll drop someone out of your social circles as you add a new person.

Now as anyone whose played Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon know a person may fit into more then one group especially over time...but the group each person assembles around themselves will max out around 150 (from close friends to friendly acquaintances).

The second is the Human Unit of Time. Things like millions of years, or even a couple millenium; even going all the way back 250 years are fairly abstract concepts that people have a hard time understanding. But the Human Unit of Time is Five Generations, just like Dick's career milestone with that family.

The Human Unit of Time that people can reasonably understand how things have changed and how they will change, and what they most care about, because it's in terms of people you care deeply about stretch two generations on either side of you -- from your oldest Grandparent, to your youngest Grandchild. There isn't a precise definition of this in years; it's more then a century, less then two. 160 years -- 80 years back and 80 years forward -- is a good guess.

These define two dimensions -- a quantity (150 people) and place in time (80 years in the past to 80 years in the future). There's got to be a third dimension, something about quality...but I'm not sure quite what it is or would be.

Happy New Year

Fortunately I'm not a punny feller, because if I was I'd have to make a corny wood cutter joke about finally getting a nice piece of ash on New Years: Picked up a box of kid's chalk for 99 cents at Target -- works MUCH better then a carpenter's crayon, but you have to be careful to hold it low less it breaks. And working my way down the trunk. Cut the tree down a couple years ago and I've slowly been working my way down. I don't like working on hillsides but not much choice with this one. Awkard to stand on, made worse that there was a line of stones crossing this elevation (not sure if it's just the tip of a ledge or an ancient stone wall). No easy + safe way to roll this puppy either, so I use the wedges to keep it from pinching and try not to let the tip of the bar hit dirt as I finish the cut. I believe the official load count is at 14-3/4. ======================= Hmmm...just realized I'm behind on the blog :) Thanksgiving weekend I modified a cart so I can store my saws neatly but roll them out of the way in the garage. There's an old tractor battery to counterweight it: 12/10: Hauled some logs up from further down the hill. I cut these to 8' and they were relatively small diameter so they were very easy to pull: For these smaller, lighter logs having a grab hook shackled to my hitch worked out well. I don't have enough chain for the whole length, but between the tow strap then the chain to adjust the length it worked well: Looks like a lot of wood! ...err, maybe not :( That's ALL off the wood in previous photo blocked up and loaded in my truck! The main woodpile as of 12/10: And the same day I rototilled the garden! Holy Hell, it's December 10th and I'm rototilling! Ground should have frost in it by now! It did start to consistently drop into the 20s at night starting that evening: On the 11th I saw one of the strangest things I've ever seen. Had a huge flock of black birds up on the very top of the hill (Prince Hill & Gorman Road) when I was out cutting firewood. Even heard them come down flying towards where I was working before they turned and went towards the town park. The next day I had a Alfred Hitchcock seen as they descended on my hillside -- picture doesn't do it justice, they covered the entire slope you could see from the house. Spent about 90 seconds just tearing it up. Acorns? Worms under the leaves? I don't know! About an hour later I went out again and there were a bunch of chickadees, blue jays, and robins gleaning the area. And even a couple woodpeckers up on the trees!

Load Update

3 Loads over Thanksgiving Weekend 1 Load Last Weekend 12-3/4 / 16 needed for this year, and I have at least 2 loads sitting in my yard to be cut up still. Hoping to get 2 more loads down the hill this weekend.

The Sith who Stole Christmas

We're skidding!

I'm getting into an area that some of the trees are down on the steep hillside that I can't just drive up to the logs to load. And I'm loathe to buck them into blocks and then toss the blocks 2, 3, 4 times (and much would need to be split to even be small enough to toss) up to the landing.

Not a problem :)

Loaded up the Ranger with wood I had ready to load, then hook up a log.


I also cut the bottom of the log at a sharper angle to reduce the tendency to snag, and set the chains so the pull would be from the bottom.

Used a couple 6' logging chains, I was just barely able to wrap one around the log. Used a second from the one that wrapped the log to the strap.






Thanksgiving morning I similarly moved some *much* smaller logs (maybe 12" diameter) which the Ranger barely even noticed it was pulling.

Load Count:
1 Load Monday, 1-1/4 Loads in 2 trips on Thursday (BIG blocks!). Total I'm figuring at 8-3/4. Hoping to get 3-4 more in this long weekend.

024 for Eric

Cleaned up the 024 and brought it to Eric on Saturday. Still getting over a really bad cold (mild flu?), was able to do light work like this and working on my truck this weekend, but no stamina for hard work. Cut up a 1/4 cord of wood today (including some noodling and taking down a large stump to ground level)...and that was all she wrote.





I spent about $70 on a new chain, bar cover, oil and gas caps, a quart of oil, and a scrench to set Eric up. A very fair trade (translation: steal of a deal).

Sunday's Haul

Got three loads, figuring 1/4 cord per load, in today.

Most of the first two were already blocked up though there was a little bit of cutting.  Third load needed to be blocked up.

Mix of green red oak (2 broken tops from Irene, with the bottom of one of the oaks too) and 2 well seasoned red maples that I snagged a couple years ago.  Had my neighbor with the backhoe pull the the tops and snags down for me so I didn't have to screw with them.

The new to me 372XP is a firewood creating machine :)  Gonna take me a while to build up muscle memory that when using the saw with the wrong shade of orange the stop is right, not up.



Four loads, my Fiskars, and my firewood cart.  It's made by Mid West Products in Phillipston, OH -- http://www.lambertmfg.com/ , but you can buy it much cheaper through Harbor Freight instead of direct from them -- http://www.harborfreight.com/firewood-cart-44599.html .  Should be about a cord there once split, there is another pile of small stuff behind the two rows you see.

I figure I need 16 loads per year, I'm on 6-1/2, and my goal is 24 for this year to build up a two cord reserve towards next year when I'll get a more efficient stove but can no longer get away with burning green wood.

Also learned my current Advil needed is three loads.  My fat ass could do 1/2 cord day in, day out right now no problem, that next quarter did me in.  Also also learned I'm out of Advil.  *sigh*

Chainsaw Geekdon

Yes, on one web forum I check we post pics of the gear we use for cutting firewood.  Geekdom knows no bounds.

This is the typical kit I bring with me into the woods, sometimes I don't bring it all, but pretty rare I need to grab any other toys.

Stihl MS-360 (bought used on Craigslist).  This saw does most of my cutting.
Stihl 024AV (Also bought used, being replaced soon, there will be a post why :) ).  Nice lightweight saw for trimming up the tops.  Learned years ago it's always good to have two saws.  Once just after I finished dropping a tree for a friend in a neighborhood my saw broke and made me realize if I was most of the way done with the felling cut when it failed we would've been stuck with a dangerous tree that the wind could push over but and no way to finish the cut.
Chaps & Helmet
Fiskars Super Splitter splitting axe
Logrite Peavey with Timberjack...these guys are made in Vernon, CT!
Gas & Oil

My tool box --
Flagging tape (use it to mark trees I want to cut or keep when scouting)
Scrench, screwdriver, brush, etc for basic maintenance
Sharpening files for the chains
Safety glasses, yellow tinted.  Really nice for really late in the day -- don't ask me why but they do make things a lot brighter!
Felling wedges
Spare chains
Spare 20" bar ...in case I get the 360 stuck and I don't have another saw, I can take off the power head and cut out the other bar :)
Fiskars hatchet
Teflon mower deck spray, used on the Fiskars splitting ax to make it a little slipperier in wood.

The Deer Alarm Went Off

Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof

I know what that means!

Click the pictures to see more easily, at least 5 and probably 6 maybe 7.  There were an awful lot of tails and heads at one point.







I'm really impressed by the quality on the zoom.  I guess it's the beautiful, bright light we've had the last several days -- I guess with the earth tilting away from the sun now that it's autumn, it has a less harsh effect then say May or June.

It's time to make like a beaver...

 
First load 2011/2012 off the woodlot. Figure I've already brought up to the porch one load from trees down in the yard. So let's call it 2/16 -- I'm figuring I need 16 loads this size to heat for the winter with my current stove. In the past I've split in the woodlot and then hauled down. New plan, since I fear a winter like 2010/2011 again, is to haul down as fast as I can the split it during later -- goal is to have the 16 loads brought down by December 1st. Fortunately my stove can burn green wood.

Once that's done, I'd like to bring down another 8 loads (2 more cords) to season for next season, when I should have a much more efficient woodstove installed which will burn only half as much wood but it's got to be seasoned. I'll still probably buy two good seasoned cords next year to go with the stove.

Pretty sure the wood is white oak -- doesn't look red to me, leaves look like white instead of red oak, and it's heavy as all sin!

October Nor'Easter

Southern New England just got gobsmackered by the earliest heavy snow in recent history -- Connecticut's previous recorded October snowfall record was 9" in the high, cold northwest Litchfield Hills...this storm dump 12" on warm, low Bradley Airport just north of Hartford.

Brooklyn got out OK, enough rain to keep things from getting bad.  Irene hit Eastern, Southeastern, and Coastal Connecticut hardest in August and *was* the largest power outage in state history at ~770,000 customers.  The nor'easter hit the Western, Northwestern, and North Central areas hardest -- and blacked out 820,000 customers! This is the outage map as of 3pm Sunday, over 24 hours after the storm began:

Lacking ambition to work inside today, I decided to head out of a Sunday drive. Leaving my driveway...put a chainsaw under my pickup cap, in hindsight, I should've included a shovel and tow straps though I didn't need them :)

 Didn't see any significant damage till I got to the top of Pomfret Hill, and it was becoming common but not overwhelming by Woodstock Hill. Woodstock Common looking towards the Pink House:
 No damage, just liked this shot of Woodstock Academy:
It was Charlton where the word "slammed" started to come to mind. Route 31:
 
Green Leaves & White Snow in Charlton. Charlton, Sturbridge, Holland, Mass. and Union, Conn. reminded me of moderate hurricane or ice storm damage. Widespread, but not overwhelming. But with temps dropping into the 20s tonight, and this damage more widespread then the more severe but localized '08 Ice Storm...folks are going to be out of power for a while.

 Holland Road, Sturbridge.:

 Holland Road, Sturbridge:

 Route 171, Union:

 Route 171, Union:

 Route 171, Eastford:

Morey Road, Chaplin...more white and green:

October Nor'Easter Memorial Corn Chowder

Having a strong, and surprisingly early, nor'easter -- Brooklyn's doing OK just on the rain/snow line. But western and north central Connecticut are being hammered by a storm that will rank with the '73 Ice Storm, Gloria, and Irene -- last I looked CL&P is at 634,000 customer out of power which is already #2 storm to Irene's 700,000 out back in August. The heavy wet snow is landing on trees, most of which haven't dropped their leaves yet, and branches are just breaking and coming down everywhere, but just a few brownouts at my house.

Just before bed I decided to put on a corn chowder:
Couple cans of corn, some taters, half a can of peas I already had open in the fridge, couple onions (my own), carrots, green beans (last of my own fresh ones, picked earlier this week), pepper, couple apples. My own basil and oregano picked before the first frost this past Thursday. Possibly some other stuff, I just kept going through the cupboards and fridge with no set plan Let that slow cook all night.

Have some local hot italian sausage from Campbell's Farm in Griswold I have defrosting in the fridge, think I'll fry that up and add it in the morning. Planning to fry it on the electric stove, but I can use the woodstove if I have to :) And the final product:

Noodling

Poster on Arborsite was confused about noodling v. ripping, so I took these three photos to illustrate it for him. The advantages of working from home, you get to have fun at lunch time!
The orientation of the head and chain is key to the type of cut you're making -- here's a conventional cross cut.

This is a rip cut. Stanard chainsaw chains don't do this well, makes lots of dust, goes slow, leaves the wood very rough. Folks who use "chainsaw mills" to produce boards, usually for homesteads or other places difficult to transport lumber to, use special ripping chains.

This is a noodle cut. It produces copious amounts of long "noodles," pics of which I didn't get today as planned do to snow! Noodling lets you make very large chunks into more manageable size to handle.

Great old logging video

By far the best "the way it was done" video -- filmed by a logging and mill superintendent.  The narrator isn't him, but worked from the superintendent's notes he read from he showed the film.

Sleet!

Good:  Haven't had a killing frost until now (probably tonight)

Bad: It's not November, and it's now sleeting here.

Had to ask Henry for a hand!

Today's mission: Cut down the bottom of the tree whose top snapped in Irene. (click pics for larger size) 20" bar...think I'll need to break out my 25" :D Final measurement was 28" diameter where you see the saw -- which is actually 6' above the ground from where the roots are. Cut off the small leader (if you could call it that), maybe 6"? But we have a problem -- it was so rotted, it didn't follow the notch as the wood just gave way as I made the back cut. Pondered my options of how to ensure I didn't get crushed, and while the idea of buying a bull rope crossed my mind, so did "Gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold, know when to walk away, know when to run..." So this stubborn Finn went up the hill, "Hey Henry..." One John Deere 410 to the rescue. Ended up being pretty solid. Backhoe alone couldn't do the deal, so Henry made some cuts (after we evaluated some more, I later got to play too and expanded them.) Wedging before we expanded the cuts to see what the tree was doing. And we have the money shot! Didn't I just get finished cleaning up the lawn here? I clambered down below and we chained up and lifted the log up to the lawn. Then up to the woodlot. Had four trees to service -- two were snags I created dropping trees, two were broken tops courtesy of Irene. Where we were working before..way down there dead center: And the other pair. Coincidentally both broken tops were immediately adjacent to snags from 2009. Between my skills getting a bit more polished and the woodlot starting to open up, I had no snags last year :) Fini!