This Week in the Woods
Representing Kimball & Sons all day everyday…. Can’t take credit for that nice bird though.. I just transferred it
The Thanksgiving food hangover is finally fading, although we definitely have plenty of leftovers for a few more dinners and plenty of chocolate cream pie for Chrissy to eat on repeat seems no one else will eat it. Her left over pumpkin whoopie pies are great for mid-day woods snacks, and no, I’m not sharing. Cameron enjoyed his first Thanksgiving and got an over abundance of attention and love from extended family. We don’t take many holidays off, but Thanksgiving is one I’m not going to miss. It is nice to take the time to reflect on what I’m thankful for this time of year because all too often we are caught up in the trials and tribulations of the logging business and forget to pause and look at what we really have. This year I have much to be thankful for. First, and most importantly, I am thankful for the birth of our very happy and healthy baby boy that completes our family like I never would have expected. I am thankful for the enthusiasm my two older boys show towards learning the family business. And, of course, I am thankful for Chrissy who holds it all together and continues to support our business through the good times and the not so hot times we have endured these last few years. I am grateful for finding the best employees a guy could ask for. They show up, get the job done, and never complain. There are a million places they could work and yet, the chose to work with me. I count my blessings daily for that. And then there is my father. None of this would be here if it weren’t for him leading the way. He has been encouraging me since I was a boy (to not be a logger) , but I am a rebel like all kids… so thank you Dad for telling me NOT to be a logger. It’s why I am where I am today.
We have had a couple of fairly steady weeks despite the excessive amount of rain we have gotten. This time of year, picking the right woodlot to move onto is crucial. Pick the right one for the weather and it can be a productive fall, pick the wrong one and you’re stuck with a choice to shut down for a week or two or move to something else. We have a landowner who is in no real rush, but has been waiting a while to have his timber harvested. With the really cold weather we had two weeks ago we were tempted to head over there and get it done. Thankfully, a couple other jobs were a bit more time sensitive and swayed us away, because had we moved there, this warmer, wet weather would have forced us out. We ended up going to Poland Spring Inn & Resort to clear out an area for more parking and in the spring plan to return with a mulching head to clean everything up. Logging is not landscaping so it can be tricky to do work in these types of areas, so we are excited to be able to offer the mulching if a client desires or requires a bit of a manicured harvest site.
Now we are up in Otisfield clearing a house lot for a client of ours and thinning her 20 acre woodlot. The profits from the harvest will potentially help her off set some of the cost of building. I was hoping to move up the road to another one of our clients’ lots, but the weather is not looking like it will support that decision, so we are going to move onto another clearing job so they can get started on their subdivision.
Everything was smooth sailing, until of course Friday at noon on a cold, windy day the skidder decided to blow a hose. Some where along the line the Friday after Thanksgiving became a holiday for people whose days off can be chosen by them instead of for them by the weather/road postings/breakdowns. They are the smart ones here and I hope they enjoyed their post Thanksgiving nap while I couldn’t find a darn hose for the skidder. Thankfully Napa came through for me and we got her back up and running by 5pm on Friday. I am taking today to go look at woodlots and hang with the family this weekend. I am sure Chrissy will find plenty of things for me to do on my “hunny do list” Have a nice weekend.