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Monday, March 17, 2008 - Sap and Sugar

Posted in Slice of Life

     The syrup is flowing. Soon all the snow will be melted and we will be in the season of mud until the earth bursts with new life. I can see the grass peeking out between clumps of snow and twigs that were buried poke out from beneath. Although the air is crisp, the sky is a crystal blue graced puffy white clouds. I carefully step across the open yard to the large sugar maple by the side of the Inn. She has two taps and I anticipate a full bucket of sap. As I raise the lid, I peer inside to see a small frozen block of sap. Lifting the bucket off the hook, I pour the frozen block into my five gallon plastic bucket and return the sap bucket to the hook on the tree. After placing the lid on my collection bucket, I carry it to the next sugar maple tap and once again peer inside. This time, the sap is fluid. I take off the lid from my collection bucket and remove the sap bucket from the hook. The sap splashes into my bucket and I replace the sap bucket on the hook. After I check all the trees, my collection bucket in only half full. I return to the porch at the little house and place the bucket next to the other full ones. We will need to start processing the sap. Today is a good day to begin. I manage to boil down 10 gallons of sap. The almost clear color is now a rich amber and the smell is delicious. It speaks of the coming of spring.

     RJ is in Georgia. He left a couple of days ago on the CAT van to the devastation after the tornados hit Atlanta. I'm not exactly sure how long he will be gone this time. I figure a couple of weeks at least. It sounds pretty bad. He's setting up in downtown Atlanta tomorrow. So in the meantime, I have plenty to keep me busy here at the Inn. We finished the Barcklow so I think I'll going to paint downstairs in the Stewart.
     I was so excited today. I sold my travel article and now they gave me an assignment for another. Not bad. You know the quote from Harvey Mackay that says, "Find something you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." Well, it's true. I do what I love and it's not work. It's my life. Between co-editing a book, writing a chapter for that book, writing my travel articles, working on my novel, and running the Inn, I have a great life doing exactly what I want to do when I want to do it. My newsletter should be finished this week and emailed out to my distribution list and other interested people. This is going to be a very busy week between meetings and appointments. And somewhere in between all of this, I am planning to visit my friend. It's been way too long and I miss her friendship. She's been traveling and back in town so I think this is a good week to get over there.
     Today I received a CD from my niece of pictures at Christmas with all our family at the Inn. Man, did it make me smile! Everyone looked so happy and it brought back so many wonderful memories. I'm so glad I'm back home. At least now, when I miss my family, I get in my car and go see them. Over the weekend, I visited my aunt and my sister. My aunt is having some work done at her house and my cousin was going to be there. Then it was off to see my kid sister. She invited me over for dinner (which was wonderful, I might add) and we spend a late afternoon together just being sisters. God, I love her.
     I had a dream about my mom the other night. Occassionally she comes to visit me, usually when I have a lot going on. It seems like she knows I need to talk to her, to have her reassure me that everything is going to be all right.  She looked great. But she always does. And I miss her very much.