When I was 13, I took woodshop in junior high school and was assigned simple wood projects. It soon became my favorite class, and since then, my life has consistently involved woodworking projects.
I got my first job when I was 15 years old working for a government funded program for troubled kids. The job only paid $2.35 an hour, but I really enjoyed digging trails, building park benches, making friends and learning about nature.
By the time I was 18, my woodworking skills were advanced enough to the point where I was attracting attention from friends, schoolmates, and family members. I made my first project sale when an employee from work asked me to cut out his home address from a solid piece of pine wood using a bandsaw. I made first sale, only $10, and back in the 1970s, that was pretty good.
It's has been a long road since then, and I have taken on many wood projects involving furniture, shelves, armoires, jewelry boxes, instruments, birdhouses and bird feeders. I love working with wood, and I can't imagine another pastime that would give as much passion.
Please read the article that explains how birdhouses help us.