Spring tasks...

Now that spring has begun, it's time to come out of hibernation and start getting ready for the year ahead. The wood stove has been going 24/7 since November 20th, with only short temporary outages in order to clean out the ashes, &/or run a brush up the chimney. In 5 months, I've burned less than 5 cords. That's not bad considering it was going day and night. The new stove is a perfect fit.
Anyway, now I must begin to accumulate some wood for next year. Here comes that first load now.
Interestingly, the price of firewood has not changed in the last 3 seasons or so. I find great comfort in supporting such an industry. Oil on the other hand, seems to be dominated by shall we say "opportunistic" types with oft-questionable morals and values. I despise all of the marketing, speculation, and uncertainty that accompanies the petroleum circus. I get more than my fill of that at the gas pumps :)

Unique Toyota camper

This showed up on Kijiji recently. A '91 diesel camper built on the older Toyota Van...knowing the ad would vanish, I kept the picture for posterity...whatever that is :)

14" Truck Tires

My Camper Van has 14 inch wheels, and calls for a reinforced truck tire in order to handle the weight, wind, and other qualities associated with sliding a brick down the highway. Twenty years ago, many trucks and vans had 14" wheels, but as time passed, most vehicles began to climb up to 15, 16, 17, 18 inches and beyond. While the VW can be "upgraded", it's not a cheap undertaking. The bolt pattern (5x112) is not too common, and many modern rims with that pattern have a different offset triggering the need for spacers and longer bolts. Additionally, in many cases the center hole is too small and requires enlarging. All of this helped me to decide to seek out a 14 inch truck tire. Canadian Tire recently discontinued the only model that came close to meeting the load requirements. Kijiji to the rescue. Boss Tire in Moncton has a "Westy-Aware" staff member, and accordingly carries an affordable and appropriately rated tire. It's a Hercules G4000LT in a 185R14 flavor with a "D" Load Rating (102/100). Compared to special ordering one of the rare and expensive alternatives, $89 a tire is hard to beat...now to get them on...

I pilfered this picture from a for sale ad, same tires though.