Time magazine recently did a write up on Oscar De La Hoya, the "most popular fighter in the world." Oscar says two of the ways he stays fit are chopping wood and eating deer. Maybe I should take up boxing.
The whole firewood thing is shaping up to be one of the activities that I really enjoy here on the island. We heat the house entirely with the woodstove. We do have a back-up oil furnace, but at $3.50 a gallon for heating oil, we try to keep that thing turned off. Gathering firewood accomplishes for me several things I enjoy. I'm saving money, all it costs to heat the house is a little gas money and chainsaw maintenance (Not to mention how fun it is to run a chain saw). It is keeping me fit. Cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking all that wood is hard work. And it guarantees me time in the woods. In Anchorage all I had to do was press a couple buttons to heat the house. There is something infinitely more satisfying with the wood stove. It's a very tangible evidence of providing for my family and gives me a strong connection with the land and the forest. I've earned this warmth we're enjoying and Amy recognizes the effort it takes for me to provide that. That's a very satisfying feeling. It's a very similar feeling of providing food through hunting.
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