Not...
I am not ready for this week. Not ready for school to start again. Not ready to hit the ground running; chasing after the schedule. Last night when we went to bed I said, "Just one more day. I could use one more Sunday." But alas, unlike Bill Murphy in Ground Hog Day, the calendar moved forward and there are appointments to keep, classes to attend, children to ferry, raffle tickets to sell, Girl Scout cookies to deliver, and sap to boil. All cannot happen in this next block of 24 big ones.
Thankfully the cold weather is keeping the sap cold. Overnight temperatures in the teens, there should be a nice slab of ice on the sap. Just this year I am believing I can toss this ice out without guilt. I had read that the ice on top to the buckets and bins is water that has separated from the sap; leaving it's sugar behind. Of course I knew this being a Physical Chemist by training, but still I couldn't bring myself to believe it. Instead I grasp the idea that each drop is sacred. This changed at this season's first boil. (See picture above.)
Before that boil, temperatures had been so cold I had 20 gallon ice cubes. Seriously, the sap was frozen, but not to the core. So I broke through the top, creating a hole big enough for a bucket and sure enough the remaining liquid was quite sweet. The boil went quickly. The ice was tossed. (I still have a little guilt.)
Next boil is tomorrow. Already I have over 40 gallons of sap; waiting... And there is 2.5 gallons of syrup in the cupboard. It won't last long, Wednesday and Thursday this week, I share the joy of maple sugarmaking with 80 kindergarteners -- complete with waffles.
Postscript: My interview canceled... I'm free to boil today. It is Sunday again after all.
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