I'll feel this in the morning

This afternoon was clear, dry and not cold (mid 40s), so after running some errands and vacuuming/sweeping the family room, I put on my old boots and put some quality time in with the backyard.

The week after we put the offer on the house, we had a windstorm and a small tree was knocked down by it. At the base, it was maybe 9 inches in diameter. I assumed it was rotted and waiting to come down and this storm was the push it needed. I was very wrong. It was a very solid, very not-rotten, hardwood. Had I fully realized this before I started cutting it, I would have made longer pieces to see if I could get to someone with a large lathe and let them turn it. And save myself a ton of work. My $10 Wal-Mart bowsaw took quite a while to get through all the cuts I made. While I was at it, I peeled the bark to prevent any decay, help the wood age quicker for burning, and because it was making cutting harder. I think it's some sort of Ash; we have plenty of others, so once leaves come along we'll know for sure.

Once the tree was taken care of, I turned my attention to the many, many stones littering the yard. The previous owner was trying for an old-world garden type theme in the back yard, which meant lots of plants, stone paths, and no grass. We want grass. We're building quite a pile of stones by the shed as we've got nothing better to do with them just yet. Some may be integrated into a future patio or path or something. We may have enough to build some kind of freestanding fire/grill pit (which would be really sweet). I managed to move a couple hundred pounds of stones, I'm guessing. Lots of moss and lichen on and around them as well.

Just as I was deciding it was time to pack it in for the day, I made a huge find. A very large, well-shaped stone similar to what we have on our door- and window sills. I was only able to rock it a few milimeters. I'm going to need help getting it moved. I have no idea what I can do with it yet - we'll have to see just how large it is first.