Best neighbor EVER!

I saw a few big oaks had been dropped in the front yard of my buddy who lives down the road. He's getting over bladder cancer so I called him and said "I'll be over next weekend and split that for you. In the meantime, DON'T try to do it by yourself!" His son came over to borrow my splitter.
A couple days later, my buddy called and asked "how long do you cut your wood?" I said "twenty inches."
Before I could get over there the next day, he and his son had cut, split and stacked about two cords for their own use and had half a trailer already spilt and loaded for me! I took over the splitting and my friend dragged a thirty foot hickory trunk out of his donkey pen. We bucked and split that hickory, which was like cutting a steel I-beam. We loaded everything on the trailer and took it over to my place where they even helped me stack it. The next day I went back and split another trailer load and stacked it. In all, I got 1.8 cords of fresh, green OAK and hickory. He threw in much of the labor. I supplied the splitter and the cold beer.
That brings me up to about 2.6 total when combined with better than 3/4 cord of split, two year seasoned oak that will start seeing the Vigilant this winter. Burning only half a cord or so each winter (SE Texas) this should get me through several years.

By the way, since some people continue to talk about "face cords," I want to assure you that I'm talking 'real, 128 cubic feet,' cords.

Good friends/ neighbors are a true blessing.

PA. Woodsman said:

Cool....what's going on with the fire burning there?

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If you're talking about forest fires. I haven't heard of anything lately. We've had a lot of rain statewide recently.

DoubleB said:

I'm guessing he's burning off the mess from processing the firewood.

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Yes, I misunderstood the question. I was just burning off the splitter debris that was too little to use for kindling.

claydogg84 said:

Good stuff. What kind of low temperatures do you hit there?

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I burn only when temps go below 40. Maybe 30 or so nights a year. We get quite a few below freezing and several in the 20s. We're suppose to have a long cold winter due to a major El Niño.
I'm in a rather mild part of Texas between Houston and Austin. North Texas, especially the Panhandle, is a whole 'nother animal with brutal winters including heavy ice, snow, and blizzards. We rarely get snow and ice here.

Why the cynicism, Woody?

Woody Stover said:

I just find it ironic that the further south one gets, the less heat one needs, but the more Oak and other high-output woods one has at their disposal. Then, as icing on the cake, you've got folks cutting and splitting it. No, not cynical; I've got good neighbors, too, and am thankful. They aren't bucking and splitting my wood though...
So, how long will that wood last you, even with the wood-chompin' Vigilant?

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Thanks for clarifying. We're good.

It's possible that we'll burn close to a cord this year. Forecast calls for a long,cold, wet winter. The rest is money in the bank. We haven't turned our two heat pumps in more than a couple of times in years. Our Vigilant heats our 4000 sq foot house to mid 70s in the 'public' rooms and upper 60s in the bed rooms. Perfect for us. We like it a little on the cool side, especially through the night.
I put eight good sized splits in last night at bed time- over big hot coals, and at 0800 this morning had good coals, griddle top temp of about 325, and room temp of 73.
Works for me.
Cheers!