Next week my boutique business begins at the cabin site: felling trees and selling wood.

Yes, Your Scribe has determined it's time to take down some timber and market the lumber.

I will be meeting with a woodsman, er, wood-products professional, and we will choose which trees to bring down.

He will take them down, of course.

My goal is to split the bounty to pay for improvements around the cabin.

The prospect of selling lumber from the land is probably a rationalization for all the money that has done into the place in the past few years.

Actually, the dream of making money from the wild reminds me of an earlier day, when I was determined to scuba-dive for scallops.

This was before Maine waters were overfished of the tasty, if vulnerable, sea creature.

So I took a scuba course at the Portland YMCA, and was ready for the ocean by spring.

(An aside: Maine water is almost opaque. For weeks I'd heard of all the sealife to be seen, but once under the waves, it is difficult to see more than 10 feet in front of you).

I never did bring up anything from the bottom.

But I nearly drowned off Cape Elizabeth.

Looking back, my goal to gather scallops to pay for my scuba course and gear wasn't very realistic.

It was more of an excuse to plunge into an activity that sounded like fun.

I hope that my hiring a woodsman isn't another exercise in self-delusion.

I'd really like to think that he will judiciously take down oak, ash and maple, and we will share the profits while fostering a healthier forest.

Even if I only realize a small sum, I will be happy. (And surprised).

Until next Saturday!

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