Saturday February 15, 2020











Winter finally arrived this week with a few inches of snow ....and in the last couple of days some single digit temperatures....yea!  Although it does not feel good...the freeze thaw cycle is paramount for good sap production.


Nobody is more surprised than we are...but we have friends that keep showing up to help on big days! We are very thankful for these insane people with poor memories of the last time they helped us (and got wet and cold and tired).  

Bob sent out a text to our family and a couple of others to help throw out buckets and lids today. This process involves deciding which trees to tap and how many taps per tree... .thus he did not send out the usual group text. This is typically a slow process. Hoping to move the equipment to the woods and perhaps to tap trees tomorrow.

Bob and Brad spent a few hours this am moving totes around and loading the truck and trailer with the lids and buckets that have been stored in the shop since being washed in the spring. The totes were then moved with the fork lift onto the back of Walle (the name we have for our little crawler tractor we use in the woods)


This process takes a bit of time as we cannot haul of the buckets and lids at once. We have found that it helps to have them at the trees and cuts down on the number of non maple trees that get tapped...it happens. Bob tracks down the offender and makes fun of them the entire season.......

Brad explaining to Collin to take those buckets  20 feet ahead, put two on the tree at 3 o'clock, then one on the tree 10 feet to the right and one on the obvious one that you walk by in between them. True story. Clear as mud. 

Megan noted today that she was glad Adam was driving....rather than others.....

To give you an idea of how cold it felt out today with the temperature at 29 F and a breeze out of the south...Bob and Adam...two people who never complain about being cold....were the first to fly the white flag and declare the adventure over for today! Our friend Don came for a bit he headed home when numbness began. Adam came dressed to walk and not to drive...he ended up driving..and cold. 


Adam, in a personality departure, got a little rowdy with Brad about fixing up some of the deeper tracks in the always swamp-like soft maple grove. Walle had a close call with gravity....

We finished 90 percent of the buckets and 80% of the lids when Bob had to return to the shop to get the rest to finish. Seemed like he was gone a LONG COLD TIME. The rest enjoyed a drink and fine carbohydrates from the dollar store while awaiting his return. A person in motion remains warm. A person who stops moving...gets cranky & cold.

 Evan was very chipper on day #1!!







Bob relates it took him a long time to get the final tote loaded into the truck due to the livestock guarding it.........funny but rather lame. Nana Mary and Pastor Cathy will be proud of Bob for enjoying the moment and taking a picture 
😇

These creatures are new to the farm thanks to our former friends the Bishops..named after them with loving affection....Martha (left) and Susan (right). 


Bob eventually returned and we had the rest of the lids and a few more buckets tossed out in no time. Calling it a day as the wind is out of the south and rather miserable. See what tomorrow brings!



Thanks to all!!!!!!

Bret, Bob, Collin, Jake, Molly, Brad, Megan, Muff, Gerri,Katie, Evan and Adam and Melissa our photographer!