Eva lives much of the year out in the mountains and in the forest with the seasons as her clock. She follows nature where each time of the year has its purpose. In the summer, she spends her time in a hut in the mountains and fishes, but to the question whether she would call herself a fisherman, she answers:

- No, I’m not a fisherman, but I love fish and I simply have to make sure that it ends up in the freezer.

Fishing is a part of living off of what nature has to offer. It is also a way for Eva to live close to nature. She doesn’t always think that fishing is fun, but it is a way to live the way she wants to live, close to nature and off of what it has to offer. Sometimes, she sets out a net and sometimes she casts with a rod, it depends how the conditions look at that moment. She follows the weather and the day – that’s how it looks.

- It might not suit everyone, to live in nature and off of nature, but I have always known that I wanted to live close to nature. Though, it wasn’t actually a choice. However, it has become a choice if I’m to make my living from this life, which hasn’t always been easy. But I see it as I am becoming rich with experiences instead of money. And I’m happy to have the freedom to work with what I love. I gladly sacrifice quite a bit to do it.

Cooking

When we visit Eva, we land five nice trout during a shorter tour on the lake. The dogs wait impatiently on the beach when we come in with the boat. They know that we are coming with fish and that the gills will soon be theirs. What’s the best way to cook fish? Yeah, over an open fire, of course.

- I like frying fish over an open fire best, with a lot of butter and salt. If I don’t eat the fish right away, I take them down to the village and store them in the freezer.

Sustainability

In a life like Eva’s, where nature is both her home and place of work, I wonder what are her thoughts about sustainability.

- I think that we should all start to think from ourselves first, what can I do to not use the earth unnecessarily? Often, it feels like we think so large. I like the idea of taking and giving back to nature, that’s the most important to me. Mutual respect.

She tells of how she once tested living a month without going to the store one single time.

- It went well! We have 140 km by snowmobile after all to the store when we’re out in the mountains. I missed milk for coffee and chocolate the most. Though it was a little cheating because I had stored up before, but they ran out fast. I think everyone would make it if they simply decided. 

So, the answer to min initial question of how our lives would have looked if we lived closer to nature is of course very individual, but I still become slightly more convinced after our days at Eva’s. 

- Happiness for me is when I’ve been away from the big village long enough to completely relax. Maybe when I have been in the mountains for a longer period. Then I can feel genuinely happy. I search for the solitude and use it, I keep my heart soft by being alone in nature.