Finally It's Cold

In fact it's downright freezing. Thank you, Weather Channel! There may be a sugaring season this year after all!

You know, there are downsides to having a frostless winter. Ticks are still out and jumping on to hosts. Don't ask me how I know; trust me on this one. The usual killing season for colds and flu doesn't happen. And if the maple trees decide it's spring, and leaf-out -- there will be NO maple syrup. No maple goodness for pancakes and waffles, no maple taffy, no maple custard, pies, or cheese cake. No Maple Anything!

Even worse, would be missing the sugaring process itself. The girls love collecting the sap. They love to see how much the trees are sharing with us. They love drinking the warmed halfway to syrup. It's hint of sweetness is a promise of what's to come. They love eating their oatmeal and hot chocolate outside. Even though their hot breakfast, soon becomes a frozen solid breakfast -- if not eaten quickly. They love hearing the proclaimation of pancakes for dinner, topped with the first syrup of the season.

Our sugaring operation has been at the ready since fall. The burner set up. The pan in place. The buckets, lids and taps, stacked and at the ready. And for all this wonderful warm, snow-free walking weather, I've been full of worry and sleepless nights. Will there be a season? Or will it be over before it starts? Lately, I have been reassuring myself that a missed season is not the end of the world. Of course, it could be a sign of Global Warming and that could be a hint of what's to come... But anyway, a missed season might be okay. See, last summer Burr Morse invited us to come up to his sugar shack in VT. (It's been cold enough in VT.) Of course, last summer, his invite wasn't even hanging out in space a nanosecond before I replied, "We can't. We'll be sugaring." For a sugarer cannot leave their pan. But if our pan is not to boil, then maybe we can make that trek and see how a real maple sugarer brews his magic.