Finally found someone to haul away the wood in the side yard

[Clipper]

I have advertised on all the social media marketplace sites and called or visited folks that sell firewood or those I know that burn wood to no avail. The big ugly pile of blocked up maple wood has been in my way for about a year and no one has wanted free firewood because Asplundh left similar piles all over the area where they cut trees for the power company. If it would not fit in the chipper they left it in a big pile in big and heavy chunks. There are yards all over the area with the unsightly piles killing the grass and creating an eyesore.

I offered to pay someone a couple hundred bucks to haul it away and finally got a call from a guy I bowled with years ago. He and his son are coming to get it tomorrow morning and don't want the money. They said that the well seasoned maple firewood is more than enough compensation for getting it out of my yard. There is probably a good 3 pickup loads.

Then begins the process of restoring the dead area around the stump where the wood has covered the ground for a year and getting grass to grow there. Later in the summer I may rent a stump grinder and do away with a the stump, along with a couple of other stumps around the property.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Don't they still sell that stump rot stuff. I remember it works great but takes time.Ther is a guy who owns efficiency apartments across from Parkside Manor Apartments on Herkimer Road who is cutting down many huge tall trees around his property which is huge. I am amazed at how far he is going and was wondering may he is clearing more land for future development.

[Clipper]

They still sell that stuff to rot the stump but I would rather take the quick route and grind them out. If you grind them to about 8 or 10 inches below ground level, dispose of the grindings you can fill the hole with good topsoil and plant grass.

[Clipper]

Woohooo! They just drove away with over half the wood. they showed up with a 3/4 ton pickup and a 12 foot dump trailer and were able to load a little over half the wood. They will be back again in a few days to pick up the rest of it. My friend is 77 and the neighbor he brought with him is an 81 year old farmer. The older guy was wearing bib overalls and a John Deere ball cap and was about 6'3 or 6'4. He was picking up those huge chunks and tossing them in the trailer like they were kindling wood. He splits and sells firewood, and also has a sawmill and custom saws lumber to sell. He also cuts and sells hay and has about 40 head of beef cattle that he raises for market. My buddy Dean says that the old guy goes from daylight til dark without slowing down. He was picking up chunks of wood that must have weighed 40 or 50 lbs and tossing them into the trailer like they were nothing.

I thought Dean's son was coming but it turned out to be an 81yr old farmer with muscles like Charles Atlas.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

"My friend is 77 and the neighbor he brought with him is an 81 year old farmer." I bet he thinks he is only 18. I wonder after each days work if he covers his body with BenGay before going to bed. He must be solid muscle...

[BHU]

There's a stump in front of the house left over from an Arborvitae that I took down a couple years go. It's in the corner right in the area where the gas line enters the house so I have to call 811 to mark it before I dig. No sense in taking a chance & have the house & me blown to bits if I screw up. I'd leave it to rot but she wants to plant something else there like a Dwarf Spruce or whatever for the old curb appeal. The last time I called a stump grinder the guy charged me $100, it took him 10 minutes & left me with one hell of a mess to clean up.

[Clipper]

They do make a mess. When I have rented one I usually find a neighbor with a stump or two to grind and split the cost with them. The secret is to rent it on Saturday. They aren't open on Sunday so you get two days for the price of one and don't have to return it until Monday morning