The Falling Branch community mourns the loss of one of its own

The Falling Branch community mourns the loss of one of its own.  Brian passed away a week ago and will be much missed by family and friends. Rest in peace my friend. Your good cheer was an example to us all.

A couple of days ago, Brian's nephew, a professional tree man, came by and dropped over a mostly dead locust tree for me. It was a great learning experience to see how a skilled professional worked; I thought I'd seen pros before but they were crude by comparison. The tree fell precisely where intended. Well done, Sir.

Yesterday some pleasant moments were spent waltzing the chainsaw and reducing some the tree to firewood. Clothes, and worse yet, facial hair, reeked of two-cycle exhaust  fumes. Fine wood chips clogged the bath tub drain strainer. The leftovers which constituted dinner had the distinct seasoning of the bar oil which lined my mouth.

All limbs under 18" diameter are now cut into proper lengths, to be carted to the woodshed today in the glorious sunshine. Logs weighing more than a comfortable amount will be rolled into the bucket on the tractor and not lifted! After some air drying it will be time to find the splitting wedges and nine pound hammer to reduce these huge hunks of wood into usable segments.
 

 In 2017 (not a typo, these things have distant event horizons), I will curate a photographic exhibition at The Jacksonville Center. Three photographers and their unconventional 'travel photography.' Stay tuned.

 I leave you with an old Scottish wisdom. It intrigues your author that many of the old proverbs can be interpreted on multiple levels. "Better an empty house than an ill tenant - an excuse for breaking wind backward unseasonably." source: A Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs explained and made Intelligible to the English Reader  by James Kelly, London, 1721.