"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."

now we all know we ain't going to be "Spartan-like" if we can help it, but other than that aesthetic choice I like Henry's sentiment here. Given that the fellow spent a good amount of time sucking down whiskey at Emerson's rich-hippy enclave you can't blame him for throwing around a little hyberole about lifestyle. His hut was rather small (seen the old foundation many times; it's like a large grave), but I think that was probably more a result of his fine sense of lazy artistness and/or lack of skill. All that fluff about just enough room to hang your hat and chair upon a nail and blah blah was just justification for his lack of timberframing abilities. With any luck we'll figure out that and rammed earth and a hundred other things. Equal parts elegant, strange, modern and artful it will be whatever can be accomplished by a few smart and energetic kids with a desire to live Deliciously and suck out all the marrow of life. Sorry, Erin the Vegitarian. Just a figure of speech.