December Greetings
The past several weeks the farm crew has been out to the surrounding woods to gather wood for the greenhouse furnace. A logging crew came out and cut down trees that are then cut and split into firewood. Villa land is filled with oak, hickory, pine, and sassafras trees. The job of cutting, splitting and stacking wood is definitely a team effort. Mike with chain saw in hand does most of the cutting, Gary and John run the splitter while Richard supervises the stacking to ensure the correct balance on the trailer. Meanwhile Monica and Eilis (Just One Year members) and Romi and I stack the trailer. This past week I had the opportunity to run the splitter - the log is lifted onto the splitter and then cut into two smaller pieces. My oldest brother spent years on a timber crew and I know he was giving me a gentle nudge with each piece. The smell of the earth, the fresh cut wood and the sawdust is refreshing.
After the trailer is filled we drive back to the greenhouse to unload the wood. It is definitely a physical day (sore arms and backs) but a great feeling to see the pile of wood and know the greenhouse is fueled by this effort. Each day the crew fills the furnace with wood and monitors the temperature. If the weather changes quickly (as it does in Pa & Ohio) more or less wood is added to ensure the plants are kept at the accurate temperature.
I mentioned in our recent Skype we were patiently waiting for the Poinsettias to color to perfection. Below is a piece of Sassafras (my favorite) and a beautiful bouquet of white Poinsettias.
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