This is why I have learned to be ahead on firewood.

[lowroadacres]

Well, this weekend was to be a mix of gardening and wood cutting but it seems other things needed to take precedent.

On Friday morning an old injury to cartilage in my right knee flared up. Three trips to the emergency room later it is Sunday afternoon and I am stuck on the couch with ice and ibuprofen. The hope is that I won't require surgery and I have a prescription for a brace to be fitted as early as tomorrow.

This is not life threatening in any way shape or form and in fact it is mostly an inconvenience that had I not gotten lazy with the exercises that I was doing until a year ago as a follow up to the surgery then this might have been avoided.

The bottom line is that it is now very clear to me why it is wise to get moving ahead of time to get firewood together.

As I sit on the couch the fireplace is crackling away and the wood boxes are full. No matter how this knee injury plays out I know that I have 7 plus cords of cut, split, stacked wood ready to burn. I don't have 2011-12 wood split and stacked yet and in fact I don't have it quite done being blocked but that can be one of the things I do as a part of my "rehab". As long as I don't rush this I will be okay.

So, as a cautionary tale to myself and to all of us, yes the seasoning of wood is important but even more important is being ready "just in case".

 

[Shari]

Similar issue here - I poofed out medically about a month ago and haven't come all the way back yet. I've got about 3/4 cord of locust and 3/4 cord of maple that need splitting. Tomorrow going out to saw up some Oak - my body is already complaining just thinking about the work coming tomorrow. BUT - I do have about 8 cords of well seasoned wood stacked for this winter. Now, if I can only get ahead (body willing).

Shari

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Good Luck, And Gods Speed Healling.

 

[Shipper50]

I guess 3 trips to the ER? Is better than having 3 surgery's to replace a knee that got infected on the first surgery. My suggestion is dont have anything done without getting 2-3 opinions. Its better to have alot of wood stored than find out you need surgery and cant work outside for months like I did and then need it.

Good luck, if you have any questions about knee replacements if it comes to that, let me know.

Shipper

 

[lowroadacres]

I had two surgeries to clean up cartilage 10 and 8 years ago.... No troubles since then which is why this one is so frustrating.

I have an appointment with the physiotherapist tomorrow morning and I have a prescription for a range of motion brace which should help me get back on track.

Right now I am hoping to avoid another surgery if at all possible.

Ironically I got a phone call this evening offering me more free wood for next year but they want it picked up this week I may have to give it away to another scrounging friend.

 

[burntime]

I was scrounging right after the unhappy triad on the right knee. Painfull to say the least. New acl and loosing some other parts really took a long time to heal. Good luck, knees suck to say the least

 

[BrotherBart]

In the same boat. A few years ago Forum member Eric Johnson kinda shamed me into getting as far ahead as I could. He always said that you never know when something will happen. Well, it happened this year and I haven't been able to cut a stick of wood. Thankfully I have this years and next years on the stacks and they have been drying for two years.

Do it when ya can because ya just never know...

 

[lowroadacres]

This evening we lit the stove for the first time this season. It felt good to have a small fire going. The box elder is burning bright and not smoking up the glass at all.

The knee is feeling lots better than it did on Friday but I know that I cannot rush it back to "normal". It is a wake up call for me to lose the 20-30 pounds that I had let creep back on and to get back to more than wood cutting for my exercise.

I need to stretch and walk as the other parts of my working out.

The other thing I need to do is to lift my fork less

Having the wood ready to go is a great relief but I cannot relax entirely as there is lots more to do to be ready for winter on our acreage.

 

[thewoodlands]

Lowroadacres I hope everything turns out on the plus side for you, kick back and let the body heal.


zap

 

[firefighterjake]

Guess the Boy Scout motto "Be prepared" kind of fits this situation.

To LowRoad, Shari, Brother Bart and other folks "in recovery" . . . get well soon.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Well, this weekend was to be a mix of gardening and wood cutting but it seems other things needed to take precedent.

On Friday morning an old injury to cartilage in my right knee flared up. Three trips to the emergency room later it is Sunday afternoon and I am stuck on the couch with ice and ibuprofen. The hope is that I won't require surgery and I have a prescription for a brace to be fitted as early as tomorrow.

This is not life threatening in any way shape or form and in fact it is mostly an inconvenience that had I not gotten lazy with the exercises that I was doing until a year ago as a follow up to the surgery then this might have been avoided.

The bottom line is that it is now very clear to me why it is wise to get moving ahead of time to get firewood together.

As I sit on the couch the fireplace is crackling away and the wood boxes are full. No matter how this knee injury plays out I know that I have 7 plus cords of cut, split, stacked wood ready to burn. I don't have 2011-12 wood split and stacked yet and in fact I don't have it quite done being blocked but that can be one of the things I do as a part of my "rehab". As long as I don't rush this I will be okay.

So, as a cautionary tale to myself and to all of us, yes the seasoning of wood is important but even more important is being ready "just in case".

Thanks for posting this lowroadacres. It is what I've been saying all along. There are many who do not understand why I have several years wood on hand. Well, first, I like good dry wood for burning and second, what if something happens and I physically can not work with wood for a year or, God forbid, even longer? So, at this point in time if I were unable to cut and split wood for a while I have no worries as I could get through the 2014-2015 winter season. This also gives me great peace of mind.

Now about that knee, I do hope it gets better fast and we wish you good luck.

 

[lowroadacres]

Thanks everyone for the well-wishing.

Thankfully my work is mostly phone and computer based so I am not really losing any ground there.

The main frustration is trying to get the yard and house winterized.

We always get into a mad scramble at this time of year with finishing the garden off, firewood, cleaning up the outside toys, prepping for the backyard rink, dealing with odds and ends of weatherstripping/sealing up the house and it is stressful to not be able to do those things for a few days.

Had my first physio session today and will be fitting for a Range of motion brace tomorrow.

Second physio scheduled for Wednesday with exercises, icing, and elevation prescribed for at home.

This is a good wake up call to get back on the exercise wagon as at 40 I still at the point where getting in shape is not insurmountable.... Relatively speaking

 

[SolarAndWood]

This is a good wake up call to get back on the exercise wagon as at 40 I still at the point where getting in shape is not insurmountable.... Relatively speaking

Best wishes on the healing process. We had a half Ironman here this past weekend and I was impressed with how many folks decades older than us were making it look very easy. BTW, my wife says its not ;-)

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Howdy LowRoadAcres

Glad to hear you are feeling better and best wishes for avoiding another surgery. And thanks for posting and giving me a new viewpoint and very valid reason to get ahead with my firewood!

Billy

 

[Cascade Failure]

No injury here, but getting a season or two ahead is ONE of the reasons I took a semester off of school. Starting to forget what the wife looks like might had something to do with it too.

Running out of wood mid-Feb sucks and I won't do that again.