Oregon City, Oregon - Week 16 - April 16 to April 25, 2021

This week I was super super busy...but I only have eight photos ....that means most of my waking hours was spent in the woods bringing up branches.

Monday through Friday were "no burn" days.  So, I spent all my time pulling up branches from Sector 3 and all by one tiny part of Sector 4.  It was really exhausting because I had to pull everything, with the ATV, up and out of the woods which meant I had to go go up and down constantly.  I figure is it just good exercise.  It was really heartbreaking for me to do it because...just last year...I had already done it!  It's like cleaning up the house before a BIG party and then coming home and finding out the house has been trashed by strangers who took refuge in the house during an ice storm.  I console myself with th knowledge that, if I hadn't cleaned out all of the holly, filberts, and blackberries, the job would be infinitely harder this time around.  I had positioned all of my piles along the edge of the woods from Cedar Trail up to the barn......and the Elders had made piles on "South Trail" - - the ATV trail that goes down to Malcom's Bridge.

This photo is an example of the branch litter covering the ground.  Actually, in real life, it was worse than the photo.

But, come Saturday, the weather turned rainy and the Oregon Fireman God had determined that "today is a burn day".  I spent the entire day using the grapple on the tractor and picking up all of the piles and dropping them on the burn pile. It was so satisfying to see them go up in flames.

I took these two photos on South Trail - a before and after.

On Monday, the workers the workers returned and finished the roof and then using their Skip-Steer, they shoved and pushed the gravel around until it was just right.  We are so happy with the results.

Jessica's family and Bev's family (but not Paul) went to Utah for Natalie's graduation.  I took care of the chickens and the cat.  Poor Milo missed his family so much...he didn't want me to leave when I came in to feed him.

Grandpa and I are being very proactive and trying to cut up and stack firewood as it comes out of the woods.  We try to do about 45 minutes every night.

That's it.  Kind of boring, but busy and productive.  Next week I am going to pull up more branches and burn them.