Prepping never takes a break, but sometimes I let things slide longer than I should. Firewood being this year's pressing issue.
No, I don't heat the house with wood, but I like to have a supply just in case. Winter can be unpredictable. Plus, the cats (and I) really enjoy a fire now and then.
I did sweep the chimney a few weeks ago so that part is ready.
Stocking up on firewood isn't as fun as keeping my ammunition stockpile up to date (which reminds me...), but it has a bigger chance of being essential to my immediate survival.
Unfortunately, this isn't an area where you can just run into the woods and cut trees-- there are no woods, and nearly every tree in the region was intentionally planted by someone for some reason. If you see a grove of trees, there is either a house in the middle of them or there used to be. People would get twitchy about someone harvesting firewood from those trees, plus, they are invariably the species of tree I'm not willing to work too hard for.
I do often get scrap firewood that comes from people cutting down trees that are unwanted or dead. Usually dead. That's normally Siberian elm; historically the most often planted tree around here. I dislike Siberian elm. It stinks when it burns, is difficult to split, and has sharp spikes under the bark that rip my hands open when I handle it. But it's cheap and sometimes free. This year I didn't manage to get any yet. Mostly because I was holding out hope for something better.
There are people around who sell piñon firewood they import from the mountains. I have bought some in the past and I got some as a birthday gift once. It sure smells wonderful.
I still have a little firewood left over from last year, but I feel I let my preps slide more than I like, so finding or buying firewood in the next month or so will be a priority. More of a priority than replacing the ammo I shot up last weekend.
Do you ever discover you have let some aspect of your preps slide more than you realized? It's hard to keep up with everything, but that's exactly what is needed.
