Back in the late 70's my husband and I bought 20 acres of woods and brush in the wilderness of Minnesota. The first couple winters we spent many evenings burning brush piles that we'd made. Our two little children would sit nearby to keep warm, eating peanuts and raisins and drinking hot chocolate as the fire died down. Eventually, the brushy land turned into a beautiful yard. The brush piles, while they remained scattered throughout the woods, made perfect homes for wild rabbits, by the way. After 7 years, we gave up our dream, and life changed. I now live alone in a small log home in the Maine countryside. This chapter of my life I find myself content heating my cabin with a wood stove and enjoying the natural surroundings. The biggest joy is now spending time with my grandchildren! Life is made of many chapters, each offering priceless lessons and memories to savor. Best wishes to you!

You’re an extraordinarily talented videographer. A true artist.

The stunning beauty of the night sky...it takes my breath away.

Really great feelings after watching this crisp autumn morning, feeding all the animals and morning routine. We have been following your journey for quite a wile. Once we will be in Sweden (maybe next summer) we would like to stop by your place and visit you because we are striving to live the same life you are aiming to live. We wish you strength following your heart!

Great video, you two. Very calming. I was thrilled to hear you use the term "contraption"! You have mastered American vernacular.

Thank you for sharing your journey. Beautiful. Harmony and Happiness ☮

The title to this vlog is a metaphorical lesson for life.

A Lot of People think this kind of Living is HARD WORK! But NOT if You Love it! Cheers!

Just found your channel. Brought back fond memories. I'm a senior in the US, grew up in the 40's and 50's and we lived very much as you are living. The main difference we had a well about 30' from the house, drawing the water was one of my main chores, especially the days mom did the laundry. We cooked on a wood stove as well as heating the house.

The night shooting was a brilliant idea ! It looked wonderful !

i love how you guys just don't take care of your animals , but also the animals in the woods !!!!!! that is soooooo generous of you !!!!!!!!

i love your pictures of the milky way and northern lights

Hello to you both. I'm having such a lovely evening here in Missouri. I am in bed my electric blanket warmed my sheets. I have a video to watch, yours. The video was as always so calming. May I please ask the name of the little bird that came to your sunflower feeder? It had a black head , white chest, and grey and white feathers. Such a beautiful bird. I love to birdwatch. I have a cheap set of binoculars and a bird book. I feed the birds too. So when I see a bird, I look in my book if it's the bird in the photo I put a check mark in the corner of the bird photo. It's such fun. Your animals are so blessed to have you to care for them. They ate well nourished and have clean water to drink. The burn pile had a hypnotic essence to it. I can stare at a wood fire for hours and hours. My mind drifts to far away places that I've only read about in books. Stay healthy, never allow anyone or anything to steal your joy. Blessings to you. 🙏🙂🙏

Thanks for sharing your beautiful and hard working life!

A very happy Winternights to you both! Thank you for your wonderful vlog, it is very inspiring to me and I hope to live in the forest soon.

I would love to hear you speak more Swedish if you think of it. My grandmother was Swedish and never spoke a word of English until she was 6. When my great Aunt Ruth would come to visit Grandmother Martha when I was young they would speak Swedish quietly together. I wish I had a recording. It is a beautiful language to me. I so love your videos.

Hello, the next time you are putting poles into the ground you should consider charring the ends in a fire first. Charred wood lasts much longer under ground. Charring can also be used to help protect wooden structures above the ground. There are wooden temples in Japan that are a thousand years old that were built using this technique. Another low cost and sustainable way for you to protect wood is to make your own pine tar oil. It's quite easy to make, all you need are some old tree stumps or branches filled with tar oil, an old oil drum and some pipes...

The stars at night is breathtaking, all I see is a few satellites in my sky. Your videos are truly awesome. I get excited every time you post a new one . Can't wait to see the work on your new home. Love USA 🌴🌴

It is Halloween here in America when I watched your 49. When you sat by the fire I could smell the smoke. It was so surreal. America's love affair with EVIL is a sad sick portrait of what we stand for here! Your video was very captivating

Hi, love the videos. Wondering why you are not using some (or enough) of the tree branches as firewood for the woodstove? Seems good material to get the fires going, is free of charge and saves time splitting bigger logs.... keep up the good work though!

I enjoy watching your story and building your homestead I have Swedish grandma and no very little about Sweden cheers from Australia

The beauty in your videos always makes my day better. Thank you

Been watching your vlogs for a while now,can not get enough of it 😊. Drinking coffee while watching is very calming indeed. Thank you Talasbuan for sharing always. I'm glad i found your channel. Love🥰❤ from Philippines.

What a fire. I'm coming back to see it again! 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻

Instead of burning the branches you might run them through a wood chipper and use them for mulch. That way you could capture the value of their stored nutrients and return them to the land.

The short clip of the night sky was amazing! I used to burn a lot of branches as a youngster and one thing i found was that if you piled them all in the same direction they would burn better once they had dried. Thank you for posting your video.

The little hills formed by the grasses might be called 'hummocks.'

Brilliant vlog awesome video Thank you for sharing your beautiful Homesteading way of life it's so still an peaceful. Camera footage is incredible.

BEAUTIFUL COUPLE, RESTORING YOUR WILDERNESS AND CARING FOR YOUR LIVESTOCK, BOTH TAME AND WILD.

I've seen your vlogs when you first started. I am watching them again. I admire your dedication. It is hard to have a homestead in such a harsh climate in winter. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I hope to see more in the near future.

wow! The piano piece in the beginning with the filming was mesmerizing. beautifully done!

Your story s so neat. I loved the picture of the stars how beautiful! My husband and I could st for hours watching the stars. You telling your story is also teaching us about the history of Sweden so very interesting. Thank you so much.

It does look like a park, a beautiful place. Blessings ~

Beautiful video folks. Two of the wild birds look almost identical to two found here in Western North Carolina mountains. Chickadee and Nuthatch

Beautiful videography.

I actually really like that you missed called the insects and creature citizens, I’m going to refer to my local wild life as citizens too 🤗 You live in such a beautiful place and work so hard, an it seems to really suit you. I wish I had been able to this when I was young enough to start a life like this, but when I was young enough, it really wasn’t a thing to do. I have always dreamt of living in the woods, in a simple way. Who knows I may still be able to in some way or another. Thank you for sharing your beautiful place with us.

Looks like a pull-behind harrow to me. Depending on what pulled it and how the blades work, you could call it a tiller (breaks up hard, unused ground), a cultivator (loosens dirt in a place that has already been used for a farm or garden), or a harrow (smooths the ground after plowing; a plow does basically the same thing as a tiller, but usually has fixed blades.). "Contraption" is a *perfect* word for this! The grass hills would be clumps or clods. A clump is anything smashed or tangled together- a clump of cheese, a clump of paper. A clod is is clump of dirt. You could say "a clod of grass" or "a clump of grass" or "a grass clod." Lol citizen is fine. Usually used for people, but it's perfectly understandable. That is SO COOL that you're seeing results of what you're doing with your land!!!

I am Brazilian, and found pretty much the way you live. I always imagine living like you, I think beautiful frozen landscape, And living far from civilization. Congratulations !❤️

Velmi krásné video nádherná příroda hezká zvířátka nádherná pohoda díky za video 💚💚💚👍👍👍❤️

It’s always lovely to get this glimpse into your world. 💖 I love how happy the animals and birds are when you show up for them. Great vlog! 🤗 Have a wonderful week.

Also I was thinking about your woodworking skills Mathias, and it would be awesome to build an old fashioned wood tub for hot baths in the new house!

Never doubt your instincts. I have witnessed what happens when a landowner burns off too early. Very Traumatic for a lot of people. Better to be safe than sorry even though it is extra work.

Oh wow! What a find!

19:55 But Citizens of The Forest sounds so cool!

Great video shots guys 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

beautiful, thoughtful cinematography!

Thank you for another wonderful vlog. I look forward to getting notifications when you release a new video! Blessings from New York state.

The stampeding chickens always make me smile. Love how well you look after all your animals and even the wild birds have a great life too. The beautiful night sky, magical.

the ash from the fire is good for the soil, greenhouse or garden too, my plants thrive on it, cucumber chilli or anything i decide to plant

777 views so far, 111 likes with 0 thumbs down - that is really something because nearly all videos have at least a few thumbs down. Also congrats to you both on having over 10,000 subscribers!

I love the video of the stars...and Tova, watching you make the wreath reminded me of my grandfather teaching me how to make wreaths many years ago. Sweet memories. Thank you for sharing your lives with us!

Hi guys, Joe here from Philadelphia in the USA..great video, it's amazing to me, with a much more sedentary lifestyle, how you two manage to get up so early every day to work on the land, feeding the animals etc.. do either of you do exercises/stretches to stay ache free and flexible after that hard work ? Also, do you have parties at your place at times? You guys deserve it!! I hope to donate soon, I just had my washing machine break 😒 btw, how do you do your laundry? Keep up the great living.. Cheers!

the ash is good for the soil, greenhouse, garden too all my plants thrive biger and better

Have you considered making biochar with that wood instead of burning it up to ash? You might be well served to check out skillkult's youtube channel's biochar trench fire. When you get your excavator in to trench your ditches get him to dig a trench for charing those branches, or you could dig it by hand, as I did. Make the trench where you have access to water to extinguish the coals. The biochar will be very helpful in your garden, particularly if you inoculate it with compost from your animal's manure. You can also use it in your outhouse to absorb moisture, eliminate odors. and increase the breakdown of the poop. Good luck with your place. It is a very good thing you are doing. I have lived similarly in the past and I am now building up my own new homestead in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. I just subscribed to your channel. Blessings.

You take such wonderful care of your animal's.

The sky at night was gorgeous. Your fire was beautiful... amazing videoing. So nice to watch you guys.. keep doing what you do best. X

Another awesome video! Just wanted to say, it might just be me? But it makes me laugh a little when I see the metal step stool, I think because you guys are always using more hand crafted tools the step stool looks out of place! Thanks for sharing your journey.

Great video. Thank you!

Thank you for yet another great video

Thank you so much for the videos.

Supertrevligt 😀

Awesome as usual

I come here to relax and you never disappoint.

Its always so pleasant to watch your videos....

Nice work

I'm going to be really sad when I catch up on all your vlogs. It's been really nice to watch them. I will have to be patient and only watch them as they come out soon. We just throw a little gas on the fire. We've done some in the past when there's lots of snow and they got huge!! It was kind of scary. One winter we thought we had the fire almost out and during the night the wind picked up. It was blowing embers about 15-20 meters away from the ashes. We had to go out at about 2:30 in the morning and take the tractor and pile snow on top. This winter have a few more to burn. Our big animals loved the fires because they were able to warm themselves beside them.

That big fiire is like from the Viking series:-)

Love your sweaters, Tova

Keep up the great videos Thanks 😊😊🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

Great video guys all the best from Ireland

I remember when I was in Norrköping, Söderköping and Linköping in January the sun would rise very late and set very early. It was a foggy sun too. I remember it at the highest 2-3 feet above the horizon. Is your latitude the same? Do you have daylight saving time? We hate daylight saving time here in 🇨🇦 and trying to change it. Moving clocks back and forth each spring and fall is crazy. Wonderful video but you already know I love you both!!! Keep up the great videos and photography. Skål 😊

Beautiful...

Hi I just cut up all my branches to about 16in and use as fire starter and in gas grill (I took out the gas parts) and I can burn the branches in the stove till late Autumn and my firewood and that led lite is 4feet long single tube only 30 watts but as brite as 200 watt lites my whole cabin you 3 have great New Year's

Labor of Love💖

We went through all our irrigation ditches being covered up and they put big electrical pumps in with pipes every where from the main river. We had thousands of acres of wet lands and now all the wild life is gone and the trees also , it cost to much to water for the hay so most gave it up . Every one is going to HEMP now and the grapes.

I love the way you make the wreaths! I can just imagine how wonderful they smell!

I have utterly fallen in love with your channel

I used to make wreathes out of everything! I miss it ❤️

Take care👍🌺

I am Always happy when I get a notification that you put a new video up! I learn something each time! I loved your sweater..

Love your vlogs. My favorite youtube site:)

we just came back from Ostersund, we stayed at our eldest daughter for 2 weeks, and what would you know, i saw my first northernlights ! (on top of the ski-slope, at the tv tower) it was awesome ! greetz from Smaland

Northern California wildfires here. Thank you for your safe burn.

It is so nice that you want to take care of the landscape ❤️ In Norway aswell there are so many species on the redlist (endangered) because the land is not used anymore.. And I really really like your videos, it is so calming and well done ☘️

Very beautiful vlog💙 Love that I found your channel!! We have Mountain Chickadee's here in the Sierra of California that look very similar to one of the birds that came to your feeder, I was surprised & happy to see it 🌎🌲

Wow, what a beautiful channel! I just found it and love it! You're capturing the beauty of nature very well! You've got a new fan! :)

I love watching your lifestyle and the seasons as they change, the animals and the bird life - could you identify the birds for us so that we can learn what they are please?

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette .... you are living and learning. Best of luck as you move into the future ... take care.

Very Nice Vlog ! 💕 We did the same work apparently. To collecte branches ang getting them burnt is a lot of work ! But I just love the sound it when it burns. It awakens so many memories !

I just found your channel and excited to hear about the history of your homestead. I have followed another Swedish couple (Johan and Malin Hammarlund) and their 3 year journey around the world in their sailboat "RAN". They are a common couple sharing their adventures on the high sea. They have now sold their boat and are back in Malin's home town of Malmo Sweden as they are going to have a baby. They plan to buy another boat and continue their sea travels after their child is born. If you or your viewers would like to check out their vlog it is "Sailing around the world - RAN Sailing". Looking forward to watching your past videos, thank you for sharing them with me. I'm an old man but if I were young again I'd do exactly what you are doing.

Ohhhh get the marshmallows 🤣

One thing you can do with the wood is bury it, making Hügelkultur mounds for gardening. I’m sure you’ve heard of that.

Do you own the land where you live? I understand about doing what you can with the energy you have. I homestead here in America. I am a single mom and there is only so much time and energy. You do the best you can, where you are in life, with the time and energy that you have right now. The lists of things to do are endless and sometimes we have to do things that may not be the best choice in a perfect world, but they are the best choice right now. I love your vlog. It is one of my favorites. Nice to see someone else living similarly.

nice bon fire once you got it going, roast some marshmallows! lol I like your hay crib very much.

Your hay basket is lovely. I just see the Ikea bag in my eyes cause it's well-known as a horse hay bag. But it's palstic and looks awful. Nice video again, thanks. -Tessa

I totally understand what you mean about lighting a fire. I can still react and feel uneasy when i smell smoke, until i understand it is from someones stove. The huge fires last year still makes its presence in my mind. It was rugh last year to say the least! Love the suggestive music in this vlog, really add to the feel of the photography that is top notch as usual. :)

We too have a brush pile to burn yet this year. Not sure when it will happen as we have gotten 1.5 inches of rain in the last two days and now the first snow has arrived. The snow, probably and inch, isn't the problem. It's the wet rained on wood that would be very hard to light. Good job getting your pile burned! Beautiful photography by the way :)

it is true beauty

I am supprised at how dark Sweden is!

Been long time haven't seen your vlogs the night sky was so beautiful here in nyc i never see the sky n stars. Make more videos we enjoy them. Blessings to u both n the animals have you finished the home cause i have not seen it. Good luck n god bless❤❤❤ by the way today is Halloween don't know if you celebrate