Hard days work
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
The Landing was filling up quickly.
The landing being the location designated to pull our hitches of timber to. The logs would then be cut to various lengths and sorted into separate piles before being picked up by a log truck bound for the sawmill.
Another Friday had snuck up upon us and the weekend forecast would have our farm drenched in rain. If only this rain had been available during the growing season. Now, with the leaves all on the ground, the crops harvested and the coldness creeping in on shortening days, it made for a slick logging companion.
Our slick companion typically presented himself during spring mud season. Something that was just part of maple & birch sap season, that we attempt to thwart with low impact tracked vehicles. Usually with marginal success.
Our focus today was the small patch of fir trees located just beyond the flower patch. The patch that we had designated early on in our farm build for the pollinators to thrive.
To the right of the patch was secret trail. To the left was a large twenty foot cross. Located on the highest point of the property, our reminder to put Christ First in all things.
A path, up until recently you would of walked pass without seeing the entrance. An old logging trail not touched in thirty years. Trees draped in an arch towards the middle of the trail fighting for sun light, thwarted in the climb by a late spring wet snow.
Mixed in this patch of fir was white cedar, with clippings of old growth maple. We randomly found a large white birch tree that commanded over the rest of the forest. Its branches reaching outwards as if to shield her children from harm.
The forest floor was a woven blanket of mosses and baby fir cozied up among the larger trees as if guarding their roots from the cold snow that was imminently approaching.
I looked around the forest searching.
Hoping to get a glimpse of Harry, our building inspector. We had previously met during the construction last month of our pole barn. He would randomly show up during the project and tap on the pine beams, 2x6’s, 2x8’s and boards. Checking for tolerance, structural integrity and of course…bugs. Sometimes even bringing along his buddy Woody for a late evening snack. The freshly milled pine was like a packed golden corral on veterans day.
We couldn’t wait for Harry to show up though. These fir aren’t going to cut themselves.
My son and I had work to do.
It was our day on the farm laboring and bonding together. A chance to demonstrate hard work, determination, perseverance, patients, planning and execution. Who knows, maybe in another twelve years when he is eighteen, he will be in charge of farm operations?
Planning is one of the most important aspects of operating and building from scratch a successful farm operation. A skill that was bless-fully honed while working no fail missions in Special Operations.
Children are the ultimate Coarse of Action (COA) analysis tool. A COA being a set or intended actions, through which one intends to achieve his goal. Children have a way of cutting out all the fluff and asking the most basic questions that can quickly identify if the plan is to complex.
Complexity usually works against you.
Todays wood harvesting operation was pretty simple. Cut fir trees along secret trail as we worked our way deeper into the woods. Our small farm tractor could only pull a hitch of four trees forwarding them to the landing at a time. We would cut down four trees, limb them, put chokers around the butts of the logs and winch them till they are hanging in the air by the farm winch.
Logging is planted deep in the roots of the Stevens’ family tree. My grandfather worked on a skidder crew for my great uncle Harry when my dad was my son’s age. As most families in northwest Maine are linked with the wood industry, mine is no different. Strong, the town next door (where I grew up) used to be the toothpick capital of the world.
With proper prayer, planning and management, will allow these deep roots in logging to continue to grow at Full Armor Farm. Parting onto my children the importance of resource management with long term projections is our key strategy to being a generationally successful farm.
I couldn’t help but look up from bucking limbs or throwing brush to watch in amazement as my son explored Christ’s magnificently designed forest. The various types of mosses and lichen my son inquired about regarding their names. After laboring together, and watching my son throw brush onto piles while intermittently playing with stumps, and bugs and sticks brought back fond memories of my brother and I playing in the woods as children. I couldn’t help but smile.
As my son jumped up into the cab of the John Deere tractor, I told him this was the last hitch for the day.
I felt my heart being pulled. Lets call it a little early being Friday and all.
It was just a short five minute pull to the landing where we staged the wood in front of our pole barn. I dropped the hitch of logs and pulled the chokers off from around the log butts, neatly lacing the chains upon their metal holding bracket. Giving the command, my son pushed his hands upon the PTO (Power Take-Off) button to cease the drive shaft swirling next to me. The shaft that operates the farm winch cable.
Peering over at us from inside the cattle corral, Chaga looked in my direction in an attempt to tell me something. Now I knew why the Holy Spirit was pulling me back towards the front of the farm.
Chaga had a broken horn.
RJ and I watched him for a little bit and both decided to be on the safe side, we would run him through the cattle chute to get our hands on him safely for an up close look at the broken horn. This would give us the ability to make sure it wasn’t infected and was going to heal properly.
My wife and other three children came up the hill to help and cheer along our mission. RJ helped push Chaga into the tub and chute while my wife operated the doors for the chute.
It was smooth and stressless for Chaga….like a day at the masseuse. Chaga did get some loving neck rubs from all of us before we released him back into the pasture. Not before advising Chaga to take it easy next time. Challenging our bull Mr. for a shot at the title is a fools errand.
Chaga grabbed the bull by the horns…….