Tales from Sugarwood Farms

Sunday February 19, 2023

Day one is always a bit crazy! This was a pretty day with a lot of sun and warm wind...felt like a spring day. Adam and Henry still smiling on day one...and likely the last day this week Adam's arms will be able to lift that high!!

The first day to boil is always a bit wild and crazy. Lots of last minute details. The generator needed gas. Walle blew a radiator hose about an hour prior to gathering. The ever present fiasco of the attatchment of the steps to the back of Walle and where are all the pieces and parts to do that??? Grandpa Jack, the forklift whisperer, was not here to keep the it purring along today either!!

Henry came for a visit prior to the craziness today escorted by his mother Katie. We had a fun visit. He may be wise beyond his years...big smile when he said bye-bye!!

First day..boots still clean :)

Brad spFent the early afternoon fashioning a back patio that his mother is quite fond of!! He moved some more gravel around and worked to ready the camp. We pulled into the woods to gather about 4:15 with Adam, Gerri, Kelsey, Brad. Michael and Evan. Bob stayed at the camp to change gaskets in the glass pipeline and get the firebox ready.

The wind was pretty significant when we started on the south path and had died down to almost nothing by the time we finished. We pulled around the south path and then up through the middle and then Brad drove back to the camp to empty the sap. Walle returned with a new pilot...and i mean that literally. Dave drives with a purpose. Flying through the woods. Brad pointed out to him later in the evening to estimate stops about every 70 feet and not every 13 miles. There is a hairpin turn at the end of the north path..about a dozen buckets are a ways west of that....Dave let Adam and Brad carry full buckets back quite a ways. Brad's litany of complaints could be heard over Walle's engine. There was some discussion about getting an air horn for Walle. Brad did get little revenge by beating on the hood of the cab of Walle....coated Dave with a fine layer of "pixie rust".

While finishing the east path, in the home stretch, Daved asked Brad several times "what do you want me to do?" Brad, in back of Walle, was not appreciating the tree that had fallen across the path, (likely in the night). He said "drive on the path Dave"...so that is what he did. Revved her up and over the logs. Gerri does not have the IT skills to independently load the video of this ...however we will make this a priority.... so check back! Tomorrow needs to start with a chain saw and removal of that tree! And perhaps Brad needs to appreciate that Dave asking questions is a red flag that needs more attention.

Dogs Blue and Piper went on a great run again tonight, did the entire woods..full circle. So Blue ended up tied on a rope for a bit. Brad and Gerri were plotting that perhaps a behavioral collar might help Dave with the driving as well as the dog?

550 gallons is not a great run for day number one...but considering how dry the woods is and how windy it is today..we are thankful for what we have! A few of the buckets were 75% full so this was quite the wake up call to start the season!! This tree had 2 buckets, both this full.

Megan, sorry you missed a warm meal!! The camp did feel better with the fire going for sure!

Adam was struggling as they chose some apparently hard as concrete ASH to begin with this season.

Kelsey and Evan made chicken fajitas for dinner and had to head out quickly for the first night of 4-H. Dale and Karen and Susan came out for a bite of dinner and some cheerful conversation.

Either our post covid noses do not work....or the camp did not smell quite as sweet as typical tonight. No syrup off by 830pm