Dear Reader, A symptom of these harried times is that I thought for sure I had published a blog post yesterday but this morning discovered it was still in the draft folder. Yesterday has vanished like the snow. I’ll start a fresh post. There is a flood warning for today through Sunday evening, prompted by… Read More
A Few Stats
This week, a brown envelope arrived from the USDA bearing the annual survey for sugarmakers. Twice, a USDA person left a message regarding technical problems with completing the survey online. In a couple of months, the survey results will arrive in another brown envelope and will be summarized in maple industry publications along with similar… Read More
Fast Forward
The trees are released! At Nebraska Knoll, even though there is considerable preliminary or mopping-up work at the edges, sugar season itself spans from the day tapping begins to the day the last tap is pulled and every last tubing line is rinsed. Yesterday! No one will miss the urgent… Read More
The Black Box
Today’s writing prompt is ‘The embarrassing truth is, I knew this.’ Here is Chief of Operations’s entry: The Black Box Old Blue, my ’64 International woods truck which I have owned since 1980, was parked, as it had been all winter, in the only turn-around suitable for the 26’ truck I had rented to transport syrup… Read More
They abide…until
Duking It Out
Chief of Operations writes: Duking It Out Summer and winter, the opposing seasons, cycle through their rhythm of dominance and remission. Spring and fall… Read More
On to Birch Season
Bucky, an old friend, called from Glover to discuss a pump. His maple season is over, too, so he’s tapping his white birch trees! It’s birch syrup season. It’s beyond me how anyone can manage two syrup seasons back to back, but Bucky is quite excited about it. I have not researched birch syrup production, but… Read More
The OK Scale
I -Throw down a case each of gallons, quarts, and pints. -Nnnkay. -Time for a stoke. -‘Kay. -Raise that float up to thirteen. -Nnkay. -Switch the plugs over in the back pan. -‘Kay.… Read More
Taking the Trip by Foot
Neighbor and guest blogger Laurie Best Silva writes: Typical conversation at the Silva home before heading up to the Sugarhouse: Why don’t you just “hop in?” (the car) Because.. I don’t want to “hop in.” Because I want to walk up. (Because I need to walk up. Because it gives me a moment to transition… Read More
Martians and Oranges
Weather, as recorded in the sugarhouse log book: 4/14: Low last night upper 40’s, high today upper 50’s. Partly sunny with cumulus clouds, colder breeze, feels like colder weather moving in. Sap Sweetness 1.7 4/15: Another tease freeze, down to 28 without shutting the run off – must be warmer up higher. Another cooler sunny… Read More
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