Load of Work, Pencil Pushings

Today at the farm meant another load of poplar that goes down the road to be ground for chips. The chips are then used several ways, but locally to burn to run the papermill, to grind to make paper, or depending on the type of tree, to make chips for compost or placing around our trees and garden plants. These particular trees were primarily poplar and some yellow birch and went out of town.This one is 48 yrs. old, give or take a year. We determine that by counting the rings. I've always loved sitting and counting rings for some reason. If you look carefully, you can see some rings have more distance between them than others,...the greater the distance, the more moisture the tree had that year, thus the more rain. If there is a blackened ring, it may have been burned in a fire externally but survived to continue growth. Diseased trees can also be identified but danged if I remember the signs...I do need to research that again...
Brother E and his trusty John Deere that he does his logging with the old way and the hard way, one log at a time, on and off the tractor to hook and drag each to a location where many are piled until they can be loaded with the jammer onto the bunk to bring home where the trucker takes them from...
I always loved the look of a pile of work with the folks farm in the background. Doing some logging in the winter was always a way to put a few more meals on the table.
These sawlogs are a bit bigger than the other end of the pile so they are used for other things, again, depending on the type of tree. These are also poplar and will be hauled to yet another mill where this particular pile will be cut into lumber that will make pallets at still another mill.
From the trees growth of many centuries to the end product, is all part of its life. The poplar doesn't last long so we salvage what we can, doing the woods wonders, making room for the saplings to sprout and grow for the next several centuries. Hope you enjoyed my walk in the farm yard. I know I did.
Next are a few pencil drawings I did years ago...They actually are all on one sheet but I condensed them so they were easier for you to see...I need to do this again...this first one is a cougar and a lynx.
A little chipmunk and a young buck in velvet.
I love the chickadee. Chickadees are a favorite of nearly everyone, especially my lil sis. Ever where you go you will see them. They are the friendly, chatty little bird that follows you everywhere. I guess they are just nosy.
Seeing the caribou reminds me that these drawings were done the year my DH and Dad went to Canada on a caribou hunt. Wow, it has been a long time since I have drawn.
The kestrel is a loud bird announcing his disdain about missing a meal. I have seen one swoop down and try to grab a partridge right before my eyes once. I was sitting at the cabin watching the partridge eat corn I had thrown on the ground. There was another partridge drumming in the distance when, woosh, in came the kestrel for the kill. I gasped and maybe it was just enough distraction for him to miss his target. They are a beautiful bird but....I'm glad he missed.

Hope you enjoyed my jabber...

Blessya