I learned a lot of valuable lessons from my parents, both good and bad.
For one thing, they taught me the value of hard work.
My dad had me outside helping him haul firewood for a few hours before I was sent inside to help my mother clean and cook dinner for the entire family. My siblings and I were all told that we would be expected to help out with all chores, regardless of our genders. There was no such thing as “woman’s work” or “man’s work” in my parents’ household. And I’m glad for that. I cook my own meals, clean my house, and take out the garbage when necessary. I also mow my lawn and chop my own wood. Since I live in a rural neighborhood, I had a plot of land with several acres on it and plenty of woodlands to extract firewood from over the years. It’s nice utilizing trees that have already fallen and have died because you’re not killing healthy trees just to get your fuel for indoor heat. Our region gets really cold in the winter season so it’s important to have lots of heat on hand. With just the central gas furnace, I would spend too much money every year on heating if I didn’t always have my wood stove which provides supplemental heat to the entire house. I have special fans that push the heat from the wood stove around the interior to make it nice and toasty inside. It’s a lot easier to survive the winter onslaught with a good wood stove for supplemental heat.