Pandemic Chainsawing

 "The battery-powered chainsaw may be the best present you've given me," I say to my husband.

"What about the KitchenAid stand mixer?"

"It's nice, but the chainsaw..." 

Farm life consists of encouraging some things to grow and discouraging others. I chop thistles from the pasture, and plant clover; I coax young tomato plants along while taking a hoe to morning glory vine; I check on the sheep daily, moving them to the grassiest, most lush pastures, while securing fence to keep the coyotes out. Red-tailed hawks and bald eagles may be admired from afar, but they'd better stay away from the chickens.

Brush and trees are a constant battle. Brush encroaches on the crop fields; trees grow in the native grass and wildflower areas; trees fall across paths in the woods. Hand-held loppers are not enough for the job.

Cathy Essinger snapped this photo when I stopped to cut a few branches at her house. I'm wearing my visiting-my-friends-outdoors clothes, not my brush-clearing gear.

Last year, a friend introduced me to a battery-powered chainsaw, and I was intrigued. Lightweight and easy to start, I fell in love.

So, while others may be baking their way through the pandemic. I'm clearing brush. This fall and winter, weather-permitting, I try to spend an hour or two each day cutting brush or trees. And, I'm discovering it may be the perfect activity for these pandemic times.

The emerald ash borer killed the ash trees in the woods a few years ago, so dead trees fall frequently.

The coronavirus is, both literally and figuratively, lurking. It's in the news; it's a factor in so many everyday decisions: to wear a mask or not to, to stay home or go out, the risk-level of many activities. But, for two hours everyday, while clearing brush, I don't think about pandemics, politicians or other news.

I delight in the squirrels leaping from tree to tree, the red-headed woodpeckers and blue-feathered Jays, the occasional rabbit and deer. When clearing the wildlife strip, I sometimes talk to the neighboring cows.

I marvel at how how quickly some trees grow, curse the honeysuckle and try to avoid getting stuck by black locust thorns.

But, I also have a real sense of accomplishment. After a few hours, I can look at a strip of land that no longer has trees peeking above the grasses, or I have logs that can be split and used to heat the house.

Usually I'm also a little sweaty and tired. Cutting brush and especially dragging or moving it is physical work. 

But, as my friend points out, that's one of the advantages of a battery-powered chainsaw: it tells you when it's time to quit. Depending on the project, the battery lasts between 1 and 2 hours.

When I tell my husband that's another reason the chainsaw is so perfect, he responds, "You know we have a second battery, don't you?"