Cousin Kevin has a point: what's winsome about a pile of wood? Well, in this case, we're talking white birch with bark that shimmers with shades of violet that makes you feel as though you've stumbled on an accidental art exhibit. So why so brutally cut it to the ground? Fair question. And I'll tell you, I had this thought yesterday that there should be some sort of ceremony for the tree, thanking it for giving its life so that we can have warmth. That's why--hopefully far into the future--I'd like to be cremated and sprinkled in the forest--the one place where I never feel lonely. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...