Woodcutting trip to Ledyard

Yesterday I went up to Ledyard for some serious woodcutting. I needed to get some wood for my smoker and for the outdoor fireplace. Fortunately, Our Man In The Field knew where there were some downed trees. I drove right up and got to work.

I cut up some black walnut and split it. It took me an hour and a half to cut and split enough wood to fill my pickup. Meanwhile, Our Man in the Field was out chopping corn stalks.

That thing he is pulling has whirling blades. He can do 6 rows at a time. The next step will be to come through with a special plow and a slight angle to the existing rows.
I checked on the corn bin and it is plenty full. Our Man in the Field is drying his corn. He estimates that he might sell next July.

All of his corn and beans are in for the year. All that remains is some field work.

I got a nice full load of wood and then cruised to the Old Man in the Field's house for lunch.

We had some tasty meatballs that were a mix between pork and hamburger. They were accompanied by coleslaw, potatoes, green beans and buns.

The Old Man in the Field told a story about when they were kids some hobos used to come through. Back then there was a railroad branch that went to Elmore and Bancroft with a stop in Ledyard. He said his mom would feed them a really nice lunch. In return they would chop wood. I wondered if the house was extra toasty if they were burning "hobo-chopped-wood." He said that he thought the house was indeed warmer with hobo-chopped-wood. I thought it would make a good marketing scheme, much like organic or free-range.


He said if you were nice to a hobo, the hobo would likely make a special secret mark on the post to your driveway. If another hobo came along he would spy that mark and go in for a nice meal.