The Magic Kingdom

As many of you know, I have lived in the grandest of metropolises, New York City, São Paulo come to mind and are of course, the cities with the largest populations. This existence of city life, was what I was born into, having been born in the Bronx and as many children I never gave it a second thought. That is, of course, until I began to accompany my father into the woods. Hunting for my brother and myself was the most exciting of our realities. Little could even compare and any talk of hunting or fishing captured our attention immediately. Life is one thing in a city. The larger the city, the greater the congestion the further and further away such experiences seem. Well, at least for me. Anyone who knew me, 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago knew that I was very much a person of the forest and the mountains and yet - there I was existing without much of a problem in any one of these megalopolises. Well, that's how it appeared. Frankly, I was constantly blessed - even in the most impossible places of peaceful existence. So very often, I ended up living in a very special place, with very special views. I have overlooked parks, great expansive views of skylines, jungles, mountains, rivers and bridges and the beloved views of the ancient volcano from that tiny apartment in Vizzini, Sicilia. So, in many respects, somehow there was always a view - always another dimension to the city existence.

Trust me, I know I was blessed - I am grateful, those closest to me always were amazed at how, almost always, (after a certain point) there was always something very special, very supportive about the views.

Yesterday, I was driving back from fetching some wood from my friend Daniel, who generously offered firewood to me, so that I could continue to heat the cabin. I had borrowed two different Stihl saws from a friend and neither of them were very reliable. Originally, immediately after deciding to purchase the property and informing the previous owner, I was given permission to process firewood. However, in that way - that I have learned to attribute to lawyers and or spouses, a friendly gesture was denied in order to preserve " a smooth transition of ownership". Which meant that no matter what - I'd be behind in procuring firewood. My friends, Bill, Daniel and John, have stepped up and given what they could to tide me over, which was a necessity until now.

As I drove back from Daniel's yesterday - and experienced this magic laid out for me as one might experience a beatific dream, I promised myself that today was the day. And so, it was.

I went to our local Stihl dealer and bought a brand new chain saw - one that fits my needs and will hold up tot he serious cutting I will be doing. 6 cords of wood - is a lot of cutting and today I began with great satisfaction. With over 10 acres of land - wood is beyond plentiful. And, further, with my significant experience providing many, many cords for my dear friend Joseph, when Kio and I would grace the woods of Weston, this is something I will do with great relish - and care. So, I outfitted myself with protective gear, as well as, the appropriate clean fuels and oil. And so, with a new wheel barrow and chain saw, I once again entered the magic kingdom and brought myself home - utilizing my favorite route via all dirt roads. I love it, as does my jeep!

Magic and miracles - the two M's. Remember Mantle and Maris? I do. Those two M's were highly appropriate at that time - and now - the new two M's in my life are equally as joyous as well as inspiring. Enchanting events are all around - I hope you all allow yourselves to experience them, whenever you'd like.

Thank you all for joining me here. And thank you all for your lovely comments. Thomas