I quit a bit early, put the tractor and rope and chains away, and came inside. I took a good hot shower, and once out iced the knee, and sprayed some topical analgesic on it.

The result of which, was, when I went to bed I actually could find a sleeping position which wasn’t agonizing, for the first time in a week.

All of which was negated by the dog, who kept me awake most of the night because of an errant lightning flash.

So here I sit, exhausted, but at least the dog has settled down.

I did something I haven’t done on a weekday in about twenty years, I ate breakfast. Cheerios. Somebody want to tell me what the fuck is cheery about cheerios? These fuckers are as cheery as dirt. Dirt is probably a good deal tastier.

The wood dragging goes thusly: I drag a pile of logs that are in the vicinity of 5′ long into a pile at the bottom of the hill.
Then I use a chain to snub a couple of the logs and a rope hooked to the chain to drag it up hill. The tractor is at the top of the hill, it doesn’t like to go up the hill while dragging. So the tractor drags on the flat and the rope pulls the logs up hill.
Then I back up over the rope and reach back and hook the chain onto the tractor

Then I drag the logs out to the street. I lean back, unhook the chain, and give the chain a flip to unhook it from itself (anyone who has done this knows exactly what I mean) Then I loop the chain over my shoulders a few times (only place on the tractor to carry it) and turn around and go back to the top of the hill and repeat.

Except one time as I’m looping the chain around me (About twelve feet of heavy logging chain, an improbable necklace) one of the neighborhood ladies runs by, and looks at me as if I were some kind of “old-Stone savage armed” as Frost put it. Then she grins and continues on her run, a pair of black yoga pants clad buns bouncing along under a pink sports bra.