Defining Work
July 3, 2005
My dad knew how to put me in my place. During one visit, I complained about how hard I was working. You know, coming home late from work, writing proposals and papers on weekends, not taking enough vacation, etc. Dad looked at me and said “you don’t really work. You don’t know what real work is like. Here on the farm, I do real work.”
OK, so he hurt my feeling a little cause I felt that I was working very hard. But in a sense, Dad was right. I did not do any real hard physical work. My “work” was mostly mental.
Dad’s view was understandable because he had done much hard physical labor in his life. He grew up on farms in Kansas where children were required to work. As a young man, he worked in the wheat fields in Canada. When he moved with his father and mother to Edinburg, he and his dad cleared 20 acres of brush by hand. He continued to “work” the rest of his life.
What brings all this to mind is the fact that Pat and I are currently preparing our 20 acres of woodlands near Bryan, TX for a little manufactured “cottage” that will arrive soon. We have owned this property that we dubbed “Woodvine” for over 30 years and have often thought about building on it, but it was just too far from town. Taking our kids to band or track practice from 12 miles out in the country would consume too much time. But we really love this little property with its large trees, Wixon Creek, lots of animals and quiet. Most of the time we can hear no human sounds. Thirty years ago we had very few neighbors but now there are more. So the noise level has increased, especially since the road nearby was paved. But it is still incredibly quiet compared to most other places we might choose to live. During the last 10 years, when we lived in a motorhome, we would spend a month or two here even though it was necessary to haul water from town.
Every year when we came back to this place, it was necessary to clear last years growth from the driveway and remove any fallen logs. The driveway snaked about 1/4 mile through the large oaks of several species, white ashes, winged elms, cedar elms, American elms, black hickory, dogwood, redbud and a few assorted shrubs and vines. It was just wide enough for our motorhome to enter and no more. So when we ordered or new home and found that it comes in two sections, each 16 feet wide. That means that the driveway would have to be widened to a minimum of 18 feet wide to allow passage of the home. The fellow who would deliver the home visited and pointed out trees that would have to be removed. Remember that one of the main reasons we are infatuated with this place is because of its beautiful trees. Thus, we do not enjoy cutting these trees. Anyway, he pointed out 12 of our beautiful trees that would have to be removed. Ouch! “What I would recommend,” he said, if for you to hire a dozer to take out these trees. They are really too big for you to take down with a chainsaw in time to receive the house.”
“Well maybe he is right,” we thought. “After all, we are no longer young, strong folks.” But then I remembered that few dozer operators can distinguish between an oak and an elm. Thus, our dozer operator might come in doze out trees we wished to save. Then, what do they do with the trees after they have knocked them down? Well, in my experience, they push them into piles which also destroys more of our woodlands. So, Pat and I thought it over and decided that we could “surgically” remove the trees with a chainsaw and while causing minimal harm to their neighbors. We could then cut up the trunks for firewood and cut and pile the limbs carefully so as not to damage other trees and shrubs. We had three weeks to complete this project before the house arrived and if we found that we could not finish this project in time, we could always call in the dozer. Of course, it was also necessary to clear a large enough area in our woods for the home itself. The cottage is 32' wide and 48' long so it would be necessary to clear an area large enough for this house and for the equipment used for delivering the home. We had chosen a site on the peak of a ridge so we would have excellent drainage but there was one problem. There was one very large White Ash tree where we wished the house to reside. The tree was very old and sick, so I did not mind losing it, but it was gonna be a lot of work to remove. There were also several other smaller oaks, elms, grape vines and briers to be removed.
So I bought a new Poulan chainsaw with an 18" bar to help out my very old Mac saw with has only a 14" bar. That way, when one saw would not start I always had another one to rely on.
Justifying “work.” Our ancestors worked. As they moved across the Appalachian Mountains, they carved little farms out of the native timber with an ax. As a young man, I once helped my father on our farm, sometimes using an ax to clear fence lines or take out a tree. But it had been a long time ago, and I began to wonder what it would be like to actually remove a large tree with an ax. OK, so I cheated some.
No comments:
Post a Comment