0055

A violent wind during the night flattened much of the sweet corn, so I spend some time this morning propping the worst areas up. I notice that the perimeter plants didn't fall, so maybe my thick planting technique leaves the inner plants with a structurally weaker root system. I'm just guessing; this is another example of learning on the job, and learning by trial and error.

Speaking of which, I need to teach myself how to fell a tree, don't I? There's no time like the present, and those two maple trees beckon...

I take my 'new' ax to the site and scope the situation. This first tree, while mostly upright and balanced, seems to maybe lean a bit to the south. If I can get it to fall just a bit to the west of south, it should miss that big fir tree, and also miss the garden. I've seen this done. I guess I start by making a big wedge cut on the side where I want the tree to fall, in this case in a south-southwesterly direction.

Right-handed, I stand west of the tree, about an ax handle away from its center. If I were a baseball batter, home plate would be on the ground, butting up against the trunk. I take a few swings, just as if I were swinging at a low pitch. I swing harder, and the chips fly. But sometimes my clumsy swing doesn't bite at all. I break a sweat, and am soon winded. Whew! This is harder than I thought!

OK, Jerry, take a break, and think about this. As with most menial jobs, this one is going to require a good, steady pace. Try not swinging so hard. You're not trying to hit a home run; just put the ball into play.

I go back at it, letting the weight of the ax head do most of the work. My job is to control the angle, so that the head will bite, first down and then up, and cut one good chip at a time. After awhile, I'm hitting a rhythm. Swing. Choke up with my right hand to make the backswing easier. Then, sliding the right hand back down, another swing. Control, not power. Like so. The chips are flying just as nicely now, and I can keep up the pace. Soon, I have my wedge-shaped cut.

After another breather, I stand on the other side. Same thing, only this back side cut should be a couple inches higher. Swing, backswing, swing. Occasionally stop and check that my alignment is in the right direction.

I hear a light crack and think I see a barely perceptible leaning. Take a few more cuts. Another crack!, then another, and now the tree is definitely leaning in the direction of the first wedge cut. I stand back, watching. No more movement. So I take a few more swings. With a couple louder cracks, the tree begins to fall. I quickly stand back, and watch it slowly gather speed, and then break and fall with a heavy crash. I did it! Just like on "Bonanza" (only their trees were a bit larger).

I use the ax and bow saw to remove the smaller limbs. Next I'll have to learn the art of sawing into lengths and chopping into firewood chunks.