Month: January 2023

For the 20 years from the time we first moved to Colorado Springs in 1995 until we finally moved up to Denver in 2015, I ran a side hustle called Old Farm Firewood. “Old Farm” was the neighborhood on the eastern edge of The Springs where we first rented a place, but I kept the name even after we moved over to Mountain Shadows clear on the  other side of town. Why? Because I liked it. Also, my advertising flyers already said “Old Farm Firewood.”

 

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Every year around the first of June I went downtown to the USDA Forest Service office where I got permits to cut standing deadwood. From then until after Thanksgiving when the snows finally got too deep, I’d spend all my weekends plus most of my vacation days in the Pike National Forest where I felled beetle-kill Blue Spruce and Douglas Fir, cutting it into “rounds” with a chain saw, then hand splitting that into cord wood with an 8 lb. maul.

I can’t begin to calculate how many calories I burned doing all this. But I kept pretty good track of the wood I hauled and delivered during those years: I averaged about 30 cords per year. The maximum was 50 which came during Y2K. That was when everybody and his brother was stocking up on canned goods and installing wood stoves in anticipation of the expected civilization meltdown, which never came. Still, it was great for the firewood biz.

 

 

I bought a cut-off ’65 Chevy pickup trailer to pull behind my rusty ’72 Blazer so I could haul a full cord at a time. It doesn’t take a math genius to calculate that in its heyday this old beast transported upwards of 600 cords from forest to fireplace. And by the end I sold it for more than I paid for it, so it was definitely one of the savvier investments I ever made – waaaay better than all that WorldCom stock. But I digress.

 

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Beginning with the Hayman Fire in 2002, then Waldo Canyon in 2012, and finally Black Forest in 2013, all of the cutting areas I frequented during that time ended up burning to the ground. Our house in Mountain Shadows was spared, but many of our neighbors were not so lucky.

 

 

 

Previous post on same topic from two years ago is here.  Do I repeat myself? Yes, indeed I do. When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.

 

 

 

 

Same old river, same old trail….

Same old critters, same old grass….

But a brand new year – Happy 2023!

 

Photo credits: RGW, DEW, AVW, Andy Cross/DP.

We get it. It’s Dry January, so you may be taking a break from cocktail hour. But instead of letting that bottle of Tito’s collect dust on your shelf, let Martha Stewart show you how to put it to good use.

 

I am not absolutely sure how this will come through for you if you don’t have a FB account, but here goes anyway. Martha Stewart’s appeal for me has gone way WAY up since she got out of prison. See the vid below and let me know if you agree. But you gotta click the link to get in on the the DIY January fun. C’mon, it’ll be a hoot!

 

https://fb.watch/hU2m4i2QuF/

 

Happy Dry January, everybody.

You thought you were going to get away with only one quiz? Well, think again. All answers are here, but you’ll have to comb through the list of 71 “Favorite Facts” to find the specific ones referenced below. What, you thought _I_ was going to do all your dirty work for you? Think again!  Oh, and also?  Enjoy.

 

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Only eight countries have ever won the World Cup. Other than this year’s winner, Argentina, can you name even two of them? (C’mon, I know you care about soccer waaaay more than me.) If you really care about the skinny, it’s here.   And just for the record, the other seven are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Uruguay, France, England, and Spain. That’s right, the U.S. and Mexico have never won. Not. Even. Once.

 

 

In the history of the Grammy Awards, what singer holds the record for most nominations? And who is she married to? I must admit – somewhat shamefacedly – that my consulting contract with UMG, the world’s largest music entertainment company, was of no help to me here. The answer? Beyoncé. And her hubby? Jay-Z. Fact is they each have 88 Grammy nominations to date. So technically they’re tied in more ways than one. I guess that answers the age-old question of how to achieve music super-stardom: Just marry someone else who is a music super-star. Easy, see? The skinny, if you care, is here.

 

Last question. Are you getting nervous? Well, you should be. Here goes: Who invented pickleball, and where? HA! Stumped you, didn’t I? Well, rest easy, because most people have no idea that it was invented in the mid-1960s by three dads who were trying to entertain their bored children while vacationing in Bainbridge Island, WA. As always you can find the skinny – if you’re willing to click for it – here.

 

 

Miscellany A to Z.

 

 

 

I’m not spiritual, I’m…

 

 

 

And last but not least….

 

No need to thank me.

I’ll be here all night.

We’re starting a new feature here at dewconsulting.net. It’s called “Did You Know?” Answer each question below to the best of your ability (no cheating!). Then let us know the skinny on how you did in the comments section. There are only three questions, so how hard can it be… right?

 

Ready? Set? Go!

 

What is the most common Blood Type? If you answered O+ you are correct. Known as the Universal Recipient, O+ comprises 38% of the population. Second most is A+ with 34%. The full skinny is here.

 

What is the most common day of the year to die of a heart attack? If you answered December 25th you are correct. I don’t have to tell you what day that is.  But as to WHY, you be the judge. Get the skinny here.

 

What are the snowiest months in Colorado? If you answered March or April, you win the prize.  Averages are 11.3″ and 8.8″ respectively in Denver. Of course in the mountains those totals are a whole lot higher.  Skinny is here.

 

 

Any other obscure facts you have the skinny on?

Leave us a comment because inquiring minds need to know!

Aaron Judge as AL MVP notwithstanding, ask any baseball GM how to get to the World Series year in and year out and they will tell you that small ball beats moon shot home runs every single day of the week.

And so it goes with blogging. This post may not be the equivalent of a moon shot home run, but there are enough bunt singles and stolen bases and sac flies to justify the effort.  So go ahead and let the Mighty Judge win his MVP.  We have our sights set on loftier goals. Not to mix sports metaphors, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

 

 

 

 

 

All the rest are just for me, for no other reason than I feel like it.

So there. That’s our small ball story and we’re sticking with it.