Getting ready for more work

I've ran a chainsaw without protective gear for years. Have I been a fool? Probably, but I've never tried to bite off more than I could handle and I'm overly cautious in every other way. The number one rule of mine is having an escape route.

But while looking at helmets a few weeks ago, I remarked how expensive they were. Two steps later my thought was how expensive medical bills would be if something very hard and heavy landed on my hard head.

Helmet and chaps arrived the other day:

I've got boxelders that I need to remove from the south fence line and I've been nervous on how I'm going to deal with them. Having some protective gear won't prevent accidents but it should give me a better chance for surviving one. I'm not going to fire up the saw until my life insurance kicks in at the beginning of the year. (Just in case.)