10 Days in December

In 1978 20-year-old newlyweds practical Kevin and idealistic Eleanor explore the Canadian mountains in their VW van find land and build a tiny log cabin. <br />Setbacks and self-denial test their love and commitment. <br />For 4 months: Kevin builds swinging his axe alone in the wilderness while Eleanor is paid $2.57 per hour working as a waitress at a truck stop earning $300 for cabin supplies. <br /><br />After Christmas: Eleanor's cozy dream meets winter's harsh reality: Bitter cold. Enveloping darkness. Sudden poverty. Crushing isolation.<br />Readers notice four layers in every chapter: Eleanor's backstory and purpose her daily experiences and challenges her inner turmoil and clarity her motivation and hope for the future. <br /><br />Eleanor's wholesome richly textured writing invites readers to see both her transformation as well as their own.<br /><br />IDEAS: I want to get married go out west build a log cabin raise a bunch of kids volunteer in my community and then write a book about it.<br />ICE: I told everyone we would be in by winter. If the first snowfall is the beginning of winter do my coworkers see me as a failure lazy a liar or a fraud? Their doubt feeds my self-doubt.<br /><br />ISOLATION: Nobody in the whole world knows where I am right now. I am a spec. Millions of mountains. Trillions of trees. Zillions of snowflakes. And me: Alone.<br />IDEALS: Daddy told me 'Ideals are all very well and good but nobody can actually live by them.' But I thought my father would be proud of me?<br /><br />10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION FEATURES:<br />- 70+ photos & drawings - 30+ inspiring quotations - Chart compares westward movement of the mid-1800s to 'Back-to-the-Land' movement of the mid-1900s - Book Club Discussion - Write Your 'Coming-of-Age' Memoir - Links to Eleanor's newspaper articles - Endnotes indicate more content found in 10 DAYS-1 VOICE series -