Day 24

I am not sure if I should write another blog tomorrow, or call it at this.  Yea, I guess it would be more classic if I wrote one tomorrow night.  So my last day.  It doesn't really feel like my last day, even now.  I can't really comprehend that tomorrow night I will be at my house in Rancho Palos Verdes.  I woke up at 8 and was ready for my last day of work.  Even though I could barely move my wrists, and my forearms were numb, I still was planning on cutting wood the whole day.  I ate cheese and tomatoes on toast, which was a nice switch up.  I got ready to cut wood, and went outside.  Harold promised me his full self, to help with wood.  In about an hour of cutting and moving we hauled in the equivalent of what I could produce in two and half hours.  Not bad.  But bad for my arms.  I felt like my left arm was going to break off, and also Harold was helping but with the busy work.  He was marking wood, and filling my chainsaw, not with actually moving the logs or cutting them.  This was kind of ridiculous I thought, but then again he threw out his back awhile ago cutting wood.  So we cut for a good 3 hours until lunch, and a few things happened while cutting wood, I thought mentionable.  1.  Harold is famous for grabbing your attention.  He will use your first name ( to grab your attention ) while talking about anything really.  He will say "And Max just how incredible is that?".  Classic Harold.  He also does this funny thing ( which I am sure every person who is reading has known some on to do this ) where he will try to finish the words to your sentence to make it seem like you have the same thought.  It's actually hilarious haha.   2.  Some of the logs on top of the pile were looking like  they were going to fall down, so I decided to climb on top of the pile, and try to force them down with my foot.  I kicked one down, and before I knew it 7 humongous logs were coming tumbling down.  I instinctively ran out of the way just as they crashed to the ground.  Laura came up to us while we were cutting and told me that I would be going out on the lake after lunch as a little goodbye treat.  I was super stoked, because it meant I would be working less, and I knew that the lake had some amazing views.  I was excited about that, but my excitement dwindled to nothing afar I kind of broke the tool that is used to lever and move logs easily.  It is a small tool, about 4 ft high made of wood, and metal teeth to grip the wood. What happened was that Harold pinched the chainsaw ( when you are cutting sometimes in the middle of log, that is resting on two logs on each end, the wood collapses inward and catches the saw ) and he wanted me to lever the log up so he could slide the saw out.  I used the wrong side of the tool so that the wooden part was the lever, and in a few seconds I just heard a crack!  I wasn't sure if I had broke it, but when I took it out that was a small crack in the wood.   Harold blames himself for not warning me about it, but it was pretty much my fault.  Lunch was chicken noodle soup and muffins.  A much more talkative lunch, and enjoyable.  I went up to my room to relax, and Josh stopped in my room and told me I could come down whenever I was ready.  So I put on my nikes, and grabbed a jacket and met Josh outside.  He was holding two paddles, two life jackets, and two towels..?  Interesting.  We walked for a good 10 minutes to the water past a bunch of land they don't use, and went through an amazingly beautiful forest, to the waters edge.  Where there was a canoe, and a kayak.  Josh hoisted the canoe in the water, and waited for me to hop in first.  Josh was mainly doing the steering from the back, and I would add some help here and there, but I was mainly just chill axing.  We talked about everything from school, to my plans, to Southern California.  It was a really nice ride, and it just made me like Josh more.  He is a very composed man, and even though he is shy, he is very level headed deep down.  Right as we were coming back he decided he wanted to jump in.  After we docked the canoe, I guess he had a speedo handy and dove right in.  I don't know why he did, but he said just to say I did.  We walked back, and he invited me to help milk the cows tonight.  I had never tried, so I thought why not.  I faintly heard the chainsaw going, and was unsure who would be cutting unless someone was helping Harold.  And of course, someone was.  Troy.  I  had never seen him cut wood before, but as soon as I walked up Harold became this sports broadcaster, telling me to watch the professional, Troy.  He was still giving me lessons on my last day, but that's Harold for ya.  After helping Troy cut wood, and moving wood for him, we called it a day at around 4, and I complete my last round of chicken chores.  I still can't believe I am going home tomorrow.  It seems so foreign to be going to my home.  I went upstairs got cleaned up, and then Josh called me down at 5 to milk the cows.  I went in the barn with them, and then went to go round up one of the milking cows.  We brought her in the barn and tied her so that she could eat food while we worked.  Josh gave me a full tutorial on how I should milk the utter, but it didn't sam to be working for me.  It was a ton harder than I thought.  After awhile I got the hang of it.  Mainly you want to pinch the top of the utter, and then slowly press your way down to get the milk out.  Ross and Josh are professionals, but they had been doing it for quite some time now.  After I threw out my back milking, I let Josh take over, and went inside to shower.  For dinner we had burgers, compliments of Ross ( and Stanley the cow ), and it was my last supper.  It has taken about a month to feel relaxed and comfortable at the dinner table, but it has finally happened, and I enjoy it now.  Too bad it was my last.  After dinner, Zoelli and I hung out for awhile, and now its about time for me to call the rents.  So the next time you will hear from me, I will be in my house writing from the computer room...weird.  Nighty.