My father has always worked with his hands. I was born in the city where he worked as a roofer, but eventually, my dad started his own company and moved the family out to a rural area.
Our house had a wood-burning stove in the basement, and in a spark of characteristic pragmatism, my dad brokered a deal to obtain free firewood. He started heating the house with the stove to save money on the electric bill. He made a special room in the basement for firewood and made sure to keep the fire going all day, even waking up once or twice during the night to go downstairs and add a couple more logs.
