Tales of the woods and mills

[Frank_Pender]

   Having only been trying to find myt way wthrough the vairiety forums listed I have come up with an idea or thread I have been seeing through a variety of threads; experiences in the woods and at the mill.  I thought that perhaps it might be interesting to have a single thread devoted to some of these "yarns" of experience.  When I have read some, I have had definite trouble gasping breath while laughing.   With others I have had trouble completing the post due to tears of sadness flowing from my eyes or tears of anguish over what some have had to edure.  All this reteric boils down to this:  Would it be feasable to create a whole new thread specifically for the purpose of sharing some of our life experiences; the good, the bad and even the ugly if presented in good taste?  

[Tom]

Frank,

I think the uniqueness of this forum is the ability of the members to create threads that the other members find worthy of comment.  Now that you have started one called Tales of the woods and mills.  we'll see if the stories and experiences follow.  There are like threads in other topics that kinda do this thing that were origionally started just to express the feelings of the poster. Other members tagged along and that is what created the threads success.

Look at Woods Walking and A Funny Story, Autumn, Fall, A dark sept. Morning, Sap buildup on bandsaw blades, A peek at my sawbooth.  The Tree and Plant ID started as a thread.

I kinda think it is neat that we are not living in a world of too much catagorization but then everyday brings a new thought and a new idea.  Who knows, perhaps this one will work too.

[DanG]

Hi Frank, and welcome to this forum. I've read a number of your posts over at "the other place," and I think you will be a real asset, now that you've come home.
I don't have a lot of woods stories, and I have no experience sawing. In fact, I only have one story that might be of interest;

A couple of years ago, I was removing some very large pines from my place. One particular tree had a MAJOR growth of poison ivy, growing up to about 50 feet. I carefully pulled it all down, carefully using gloves, long sleeves, etc, since I'm very sensitive to the stuff. I got everything all ready to whack that big sucker down, cranked the ole "Poo-land", and hunkered down to make my first cut. Right where I was about to lunge into it, there was a little sprig of ivy about a foot long, with about 6 or 8 leaves on it. Holding the running saw in one hand, I plucked the little sprig off with the other, and a VERY large spider jumped off of it, and landed squarely on my mouth and nose. Before I could even think about thinking, I had slapped myself in the face about 6 times with that sprig of poison ivy.  Needless to say, my face was an even bigger mess than normal, for a couple of weeks. It weren't so funny, at the time, but I can finally grin about it. I always check for poison ivy and spiders, now.

[Bibbyman]

My cousin Dickey was helping Uncle Ed with some logging along a creak when nature called.  Being practically raised in the woods,  he knew "where the bear goes", so to speak. ;D  He found a patch of weeds about his height and stomped down a path into them a ways and then a little room for him to take care of business.   :P

Nature also provided him with material for the necessary personal cleanup - grabbing a few leafs off the same weeds.

Dickey learned a quick lesson in plant identification and proper application that day - he had squatted in a patch of itch weed.  

He was miserable for a couple of days! :'(

[Tom]

My Neighbors son (?) is of the other sexual persuasion and his "friend" was staying with him at the parents home until they could get on their feet. I was asked if the friend could off-load the sawmill to earn some cash and I agreed, needing some help real bad.

I was sawing deep in the woods about 30 miles away and it was a challenge for this fellow to stay after the work all day.  He was not acclimated to physical labor.  "I'd much rather clean house and cook meals" he said.

I tell you this so you can picture a "very": effeminate flamer.

He failed to bring anything to eat and I was supplying him with meals.  I didn't mind since it gave me the opportunity to show that my wife could cook.  We gathered up in the truck on the third day, turned on the radio (I like to listen to Rush), and I handed him a Rotisserie Roasted Pork sandwich.  We were listening to Rush when he ask "This is good, what kind of sandwich is this?
  
 I couldn't resist....."possum", said I.

He was 2/3rds through with the sandwich.  I continued to eat and act as if nothing was wrong.  I tried to look at him out of the corner of my eye but it was difficult without being obvious.

He stopped eating and started staring at what remained of the sandwich.  After a while he placed it in its sack and a few minutes later climbed from the truck and disappeared around the back.  When he returned the sandwich bag was gone.

We had to quit early that day because he said that "I am just too tired".  I took him home and he never offered to help with the mill in the woods again.

I told my neighbor what I had done and we had a good laugh.  Thereafter when a big meal was prepared, my neighbor would ask his wife, "Are we going to have possum tonight?'  Having possum for Thanksgiving or Christmas was suggested and the boy never put two and two together to understand that I had talked with my neighbor and it was all a big joke.  It probably had a lot to do with the boy moving out of their house.  He just "couldn't live with backwoods folks like this".

[CHARLIE]

WHAT THE HAY!!! >:(  Tom! You mean to tell me that you had Pork/Possum sandwiches for lunch!>:( And when I was working for you...I got a can of cold PEAS!!:o Is that any way to treat a person of the same flesh and blood?  Sheeeeesh! : ;)

[Tom]

He was Union, Charlie. :D

Nah, really, I was looking out for you.  All that grease and cholesterol in Possum sandwiches isn't good for you.  Why, what with the good food and exercise I provided for you, I'll guarantee that you have had 3 days added to your life. ;D

[Jeff]

"Union", is not a good term to use around or for that fellow Tom.

[Tom]

Oops, uh, organized..no uh solidarity.........no that doesn't sound right....... 8) move feet, move........uh......scuz me i'll be right back...... 8),,,,,ahem.......... 8)......

[Roger_T]

Remember camping once with the boyscouts in early May.  Just so happens that the Morel mushrooms were in full bloom while we were there.  So off my 2 sons and I go......  pickin, searchin, pickin searchin..  light rain started fallin, but that wasnt enough to dampen our enthusiasm...  took my cap off to wipe the rain outta my face and went on back.  Ended up with over half a bushel of them babies!!  

2 days later I was swearin at those morels.  Seems I had gotten into the poison ivy big time and not known it.  Face all swollen up, one eye completely closed and itch like you couldnt believe.  Lost a couple days of work over that episode.

Bein red-green color blind in the first part of spring does me no favors in the woods.  Ivy is rather brightly colored in the early spring i am told, and is at its most potent levels.  Needless to say, I stay outta the woods in the early spring now.  

Now I just send in the kids and say watch where yer goin! ;D

More than once I've taken the oldest to the doctors office to get shots for a really bad case of ivy.  You would think an Eagle Scout would know what that looks like by now!

Roger

[stickbilt]

Hey Dan,
 My stomach is still sore from laughing about the poison ivy and the spider. I could picture it perfectly.
 Luckily I take after my grandfather. He is 83 and has never had poison ivy and neither have I.

 When I bought my building lot in 1985, it had been logged about 5 years previous. There was a nasty pile of slash where I wanted to stake out for the house. I had made some pretty good sized piles to burn and I had the day off because of the rain. I showed up with my chainsaw, gas and oil. Well, I finished my coffee and filled the cup with gas to start the brush fire. I threw it on the pile and lit it and it went out after a few seconds. Keep in mind that it's raining out. After several more of these attemps, I ran out of gas and went to town to FILL my 2 1/2 gallon can. On the way back I thought to myself that I better dump a lot of gas on the pile this time so it doesn't go out again. There I was standing up on top of the pile dumping nearly the entire contents of the can, just saving enough for the famous gas trail to light it off. I reached in my pockets, fumbling for the matches. I have to tell you that I am 24 years old when this happened and indestructable in MY mind. I struck the match and threw it down on the gas trail. WHOOM went the flame over to the pile. KABOOM! Little did I know that on rainy days the air is especially heavy and that I was down wind from the pile and standing in a very large cloud of gasoline vapors. The blast knocked me down and scared the daylights out of me but no damage. I learned a lesson and I came up with a much better method of starting wet brush piles on fire. Now I use newspaper and dry kindling believe it or not. I spread out a couple of sheets of paper over a good spot like a canopy.Then I crumple up a bunch of paper and put it under that with a bunch of kindling on top. The spread out paper on top keeps things dry until the fire catches on. Then you just keep feeding the fire with dry stuff until you have some coals. I know some people use diesel or old tires but I like paper.   Phew!  Feeling longwinded today
                                             Stickbilt

[DanG]

Hey Stick! I think I saw you on Americas Funniest Videos, or somewhere.  Famous last words..."HEY Y'ALL WATCH THIS!!!"

Around here, we just use a big ol' chunk of fat light'rd to start a brush fire.  These old Southern Longleaf pines are so full of pitch, that the stumps harden with it. The stuff burns like Sulphur...lots of black smoke, but it will set anything on fire. :D

[Corley5]

A guy I went to school was working with his dad clearing a building site.  They had a huge pile of brush that needed burning.  They tried to get it going one day, failed and gave up til the next.  Day two they arrived on the scene with a five gallon can of gas/diesel mix.  He climbed up on top of the pile and began to splash it around.  Evidently some of the previous days fire had taken and when the fuel mix ran down to the hot spot it took off.  Randy spent more than a little time at the Burn Center in Ann Arbor where he recieved skin grafts etc.  He also told me about having his skin abraded .  Bad stuff.  Be careful with fire!!!

[Gordon]

Yes skin grafts really are no fun. I've had to get two of them one on each forearm. Not from fire but from hot steel. But at the burn center they called mine a band-aid burn. To see why they did I would just walk down the hall. Man some of those people were really messed up. My little burns on the forearms were nothing compared to the people at the other end of the ward. But they were deep third degree burns and had to have grafts.

So that was a couple of weeks in the hosipital. Bored to no end. As they picked prodded and poked my burns. Dressed and redressed the burns. I was in a hosipital in Baltomore MD. My surgery was canceled at least three times. Due to gunshot wound victoms. Glad I don't live on that side of the Chesapeake bay. Different world...

Then after the surgery dressings and more dressings. Once the skin started to take I had to wear Jobes stockings, they looked like nylon stockings on my arms for a good six months to ensure the skin would heal flat.

Now I've got to be extra careful in the sun to wear sunscreen cuz they burn alot easier. Well you gotta figure it's skin off my butt so it would burn easier. :D

At one of my last DR vists at the burn center I asked the doctor if hair club for men would work on my arms cuz no hair grows on them. I was joking, he didn't realize that. Real serious he says, no son hair can't grow there anymore. I had to tell him I was only joking.

But the moral to the story is be careful around not only fire but anything hot at all. What took only a few seconds to happen took months to fix and still isn't the same as before the accident. It was hospital a couple of weeks, out of work a few months, then wear the socks on my arms a few more months once I got the ok to go back to work. Just think of wearing those socks on a hot day in summer ---not fun.

WORK SAFE---THINK BEFORE YOU ACT

Gordon