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Some more sugaring pics from last weekend... courtesy of Jeni's camera! Sorry if you're sick of sugaring pics by now- only about 3 weeks left to go!

Just made syrup

Mm, hot syrup

How a princess tastes syrup

How the toad tastes syrup (w/tongue)

Sap n' Soda

I know I can't be the first one to have ever discovered this, but maple syrup makes a pretty tasty cocktail! I mean, I'd drink it straight out of the half-gallon jug with a straw too, but that is a little unsophisticated, don't you think?

My latest favorite is called "Sap n' Soda"...

One shot of maple syrup and one shot of vodka on ice, then fill the rest of your glass up with seltzer or club soda. Try it. You'll like it. I bet it's even good without the vodka if you want to skip that part.

Plus it has such a nice champagne-like bubbly caramel color. Yummmmm...

Hide and Seek

Aiden is great at "seeking"...

Hiding? Not so much.

Boiling Begins

This weekend Aiden and I went back up to the sugarhouse to spend a day boiling with cousins. Many Munsons (Memorie, Newt, James, Jacob, Jeni, Glen and Ciara) made long and not-as-long treks from VA, PA and MA to join in the fun for the weekend. The sap was running slowly, so instead of bucket brigade we all got to hang out and watch the boiling in action. The first 8 gallons or so of syrup have been bottled, and Dad is in his annual glory.

It's a constant job to keep a wood-fired evaporator fully stoked and burning hot. You have to feed the fire every 7 minutes, and Dad keeps a little egg timer going constantly to remind everyone. The kids were VERY helpful bringing in wood from the woodpile to the sugarhouse. Too helpful, in fact, since once they got going they were having so much fun that the pile in the sugarhouse was almost out the door. It's never been that high before, and Dad was so liberal with the fire-fueling that the temp got a little out of control and some caulking on the sugarhouse roof caught fire temporarily! Oops! No permanent damage, luckily, and we toned it down a little after that.

Aiden was very upset when Timber snuck in and stole a log from out of his hands on his way to the sugarhouse. The adults were all busy either snapping pictures or laughing hysterically, so needless to say he didn't get much sympathy. As usual, crisis was over in 2 seconds when a replacement log was handed over.

Grade A Fancy, the first of every season

It was another gorgeous weekend (we are getting spoiled now) for being outdside and enjoying the spring sunshine and good company. We're hoping to get up a few more times before the sugar season is over, so stay tuned for more sweet adventures.

Jeni and Ciara

Jacob on the still frozen pond

Jacob and Aiden busting up the granular ice

Jacob and Ciara through the sweet maple steam. I wish this photo was scratch and sniff, because the smell is heavenly in the sugarhouse when we're boiling!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Andy was teaching Aiden to say some Irish phrases this morning... I started the video just after Andy had him say something about a penny for me paddy's whisky (missed that one, sorry) - luck o' the irish!

Tapping Weekend

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend for tapping this year! It was about 50 degrees and bluebird sunny, and the six of us (Mom, Dad, Andy, me, Aiden and Andy's Dad) were able to get all 220 buckets lined, tapped, and hung in one morning. Last year, in the middle of a nasty ice storm, I think it took all weekend to do that!

Aiden is ready to go with his "power" drill

Mom on the 4 wheeler

What's this? No breaks!

We tapped a lot of new maples this year, so on Saturday afternoon (after a nap for everyone) we cleared some new woods roads for the tractor to get close enough to empty buckets into the holding tank. Then by Sunday, it was time to collect. We got about 220 gallons in the first haul of the year, and toasted with full glasses of sap all around.

Toasting glasses of the season's first sap

Timber is a fan of sap too!

And it's best right from the source.

Mom and Dad should be boiling this week, by the looks of things. We're looking forward to more weekends in the sugarbush during March & April. And some syrupy pancakes, of course!

A Bra by Any Other Name...

Aiden has been asking questions lately about various parts of his body, and we have been trying to explain to him that he has certain parts in common with Dadoo because he is a boy, and that girls, like Mamoo, have other parts. Yesterday morning Aiden was hanging around in our room playing while I was getting dressed and ready for work, as he usually does. When I went to put on my bra he started pointing at the bra and saying, "I want that! Please! I want that!"

"Um, no, honey...that's Mamoo's... I need to wear it" I offer, slipping it on.
"I NEED THAT!" Aiden whines loudly.

In comes Dadoo. Uh oh. Andy is already concerned at how much Aiden enjoys tea-parties and strings of mardi-gras beads.
"What's up in here?" Andy says.
"Oh, Aiden seems to think he needs to have my bra" I say.
"Aiden, that's for girls only. Boys like you don't need those." Andy says.
The bottom lip comes out. Wait for it... Wait for it.... "WWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Are you KIDDING ME?!" Andy says, looking at me incredulously.

Aiden is full-on wailing now. "WAAAHHHHH!!! I WANT.... I WANT.... WAHHHH!!!.... Toolbelt!" WAHHHH!!"

TOOLBELT?!?!?!

"Wait, you thought Mamoo's bra was a TOOLBELT?" Andy says, "Why didn't you say so, buddy! We'll get you a toolbelt, hold on!"

And in 2 seconds he's a happy clam again. Happily armed with a new toolbelt, Aiden hands me a screwdriver. "Phillips-head, Mamoo? For your toolbelt?"

"No thanks, darlin. Mine's already full."

Tears still in his eyes, with his toolbelt.

Hot Tracks!

Welcome to Stump, Part Deux! Here's the winter thrills in our new little hometown of New London. Racing Model-T's retrofitted as snowmobiles! Apparently this isn't a new idea...someone back in the day of the Model-T did it first and created the first motorized snowmobile. So fittingly, the meet is held at the New London Historical Society. What surprised me was how many snow-cars there were...this is an actual thing up here. It wasn't just one guy with a curiosity car everyone could gawk at.