Report from Up Nort

Our International Falls correspondent has returned home after 17 days tanning in the Florida sun. He and the good wife are back to their subsistence lifestyle, living off the land on the shores of Rainy Lake, splitting kindling, netting fish, cultivating tomatoes and harvesting venison. Sunday Wayne gathered up enough firewood to survive yet another winter in the frozen northland.

Photo by Wayne.
Fire by Mary Ann.

The retired publisher writes:
As for the goings on since our return. After getting acclimated to winter, I lined up a couple hunting partners and three of us headed to the woods on Sunday morning to get a supply of wood. We called the local logger who lives just a few miles from our shack [Wayne and Mary Ann own some remote property deep in the forest for deer hunting and a wood supply-- Ed.]. He drags out pole length trees from a pile and we cut it into 8-foot lengths and throw it in the pickups.

With three trucks and two trips to the hunting shack, we have enough wood for 3 to 4 years of saunas and showers. This was a perfect year to do this, as the roads are frozen yet passable with the lack of snow.
We listened to the Vikings on the radio and soon felt that we were not wasting our time by watching the first half on tv. We were back home by the third quarter...should have gone for another load.
Next spring we will cut it up, split and stack wood for another season.
Went fishing the other day and caught enough walleye for a couple sandwiches. Took the four-wheeler out. Lots of ice if you know where to go and avoid current where thin ice and open water are present.
It's not easy, this subsistence living, but Obama made me do it.

Wayne

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Down-range view from inside Wayne's elevated stand. Any deer
foolishly wandering into this clearing are fair game.

Same view after a snowfall.
Old Sureshot got his buck again this year.