Maintenance

One of the pitfalls of ownership is the need for maintenance.  Perhaps that is why society has moved to more of a disposable mode rather than one in which quality is demanded but also comes with requirements for continued investment in its care.

The demand for maintenance extends to our bodies, minds, spirits and emotions.  Taking care of our health in these areas is needed if we are to live quality lives.  Hopefully we each demand quality in life.

 Perhaps that genetically programmed need for maintenance of our bodies should serve as a model for the things in our care.  Instead of a disposable society we would begin to see a gradual improvement of quality that would result in less demand for landfills and scrap yards.  We would see products that lasted for lifetimes rather than months.

Such an approach to economy might require slightly higher expenditure up front but considerably less over a lifetime.  It would demand a complete change in the operating philosophy of manufacturing.

Most maintenance is simply the expenditure of labor.  As a society we seem to prize our leisure much more than we do pride in our ability to maintain that which is given into our possession or, better yet, which we have earned through our efforts.  It seems strange that we would work harder for someone else in a job that is often thankless in order to purchase things which are of low quality and designed to wear out (functional obsolescence) in a short period of time requiring us to work even harder to earn the funds to replace that item.  Why not live more simply and focus on quality as opposed to amassing quantity?

I suppose I'm wandering off into the woods a bit with my topic, but that is relevant.  Each day we seek to invest at least some time in maintaining our property.  Yesterday was a return to a task which started shortly after we acquired this place.  It is the removal of a massive fallen log.

It is one of many that have fallen through the years prior to us purchasing.  It was one of the reasons we could manage the acquisition -- neglect by the previous owners.  At this stage in life my labor is not as highly valued by the public as it might have been previously, but it is something that I value.  The physical efforts invested in returning this land to beauty and productivity helps to maintain and improve my health physically, mentally and emotionally.  I find peace in the efforts and peace in the results.

The large log that you see fell at some time in the past.  In the foreground is the tip of an oak tree that was flattened to the ground when it fell.  The base of the small oak was at least 4 inches in diameter and it was around 20 feet tall at least.

After a period of labor, you can see that the small oak tree is now gone and the process of cutting up the large fallen pine continues.  The cut pieces in the foreground are something over 2 feet in diameter.  They will be split into pieces for burning in our fire pit.  There is another 40-50 feet of large pine yet to go.