Dear Archie,
Been splitting wood lately. Nothing says life in the northwoods like getting ready for winter in late April. Don't know what it is about splitting wood but I sure enjoy it. Birch is the best. Burns pretty good and has a light berry smell when the maul pops it open. Don't go at it with a vengeance like a young man would. There's enough hours in a the day and days in the week to cull all I need without breaking my hump. Somedays I split the lengths next to the stump they came from. Others I simply throw in the wheelbarrow and pile alongside the cabin. Whichever strikes my fancy. Need to buck up and split around four cords. Should I spend the winter ten'd be more like it. Seeing as how I enjoy the work so much I might just keep splitting till I think of something better to do.
Finally bought a stereo system and a length of antenna wire. Strung the wire between a couple of uprights I'd screwed onto the lookout roof. Now I not only have music but also the news. Can't say the news is an improvement in my life.
She's looking like it'll be a late spring up here on Aspen Brook. The water's flowing up and over the bank in places, there's still two foot drifts here and there in the woods and all the lakes remain frozen tight. When the flow goes down and the water clears I just might try to see if the trout are still there. Bought a used split bamboo spinning rod down in Duluth. It'll be fun to see how it works.
Must have been some kind of winter up here. Almost sad I missed most of it. Makes me feel like a coward to pass the frozen months worrying the bass down in Florida. Also spent the holidays down in the cities. Almost didn't make it out of here in December. The driveway looked like a tunnel when I finally headed south. To this point I've been hand shoveling the entire sixty rods of driveway. I keep plenty of food in the cabin so there's usually no hurry finish the job. Even with the shoveling it doesn't hurt that I store a load of firewood in the truck's box. Four wheel drive is good but the extra weight helps a lot. By mid-December last winter my back told me in no uncertain terms to bite the bullet and put a blade on the front of the truck. Don't like to do that but probably will.
So, did I ever think of death when I was in training or combat? Yes and no. When it'd come to mind I'd stuff it down. And when we were in contact, there was no need to think of it. Death was there with us every inch of the way, not some idea in our heads. Mostly I'd think of staying alive and how best to do that. Even when I had to stick my neck out I was careful. Not slow, careful. My job was to keep the wounded alive and I couldn't do that if I was dead. Hell, I wanted everyone of us to pull through, especially me. Sounds selfish and maybe it is. But that's just the way it was and still is. I went to war with the idea of not dying. So Archie, that's my advice to you. Do your job to the best of your ability but most of all keep your mind on staying alive and come home in one piece. Then, over the years that follow, learn to deal with the ghosts who come back with you. You may not yet know about them but you will.
Should you have a few free moments now and then, give some thought to the canoe trips we did. Got a feeling the woods we passed through were a hell of a lot more peaceful than the ones you must be in by now. Also, consider another trip when you get home. A day, a week, I'll take whatever you can spare.
As always,
Emil
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