April 1, 2014 – Tuesday

38 degrees/cloudy/windy

Pentoga Road

Just as the weather wouldn’t warm enough so I might begin tapping trees, now it’s too warm for the sap to run. Temperatures must get below freezing at night and well above during the day for a good flow. The past two nights have remained in the upper thirties. What a year.

I walked the usual five miles Monday morning. Thinking I’d be comfortable wearing only a down vest over a long sleeved t-shirt and forgetting my gloves, the first mile or two was a bit nippy. After climbing Heart Break Hill at a rapid pace, I was soon comfortable.

For whatever reason, I was all done in after my walk. I usually enjoy a cup of tea and relax for a few minutes, but yesterday, I sat down in my recliner and fell sound asleep. Must be old age.

Climbing around in the rafters of the barn isn’t one of my favorite activities, but it was required to get down all the maple boiling paraphernalia. Thankfully, I’d cleaned the pans last spring, so they only need to be washed in the sink this spring. The flue was in fairly good shape, but the 90-degree elbow was rusted and weak.

I started setting the cement blocks that make the sides of the stove. It’s absolutely essential the boiler ends up level and square and I was forced to use some pea gravel to bed the blocks.

I took a trip to town to purchase the needed elbow, also a new wood grate as the old one has burned out over the years. It was late afternoon before everything was assembled and set up for boiling.

The first gathering of the year took place Monday afternoon. I got around 12 gallons of sap from the 65 taps, not much. It’ll remain in cold storage (packed in snow) until I get a hundred gallons or so.

Amazing, a few trees had really run and the gallon bags were at full capacity. Most were only a third to half full and there were half a dozen trees that haven’t produced a drop. I’ve found over the years that trees have personalities, just like people. Some are early runners, most are average, and there are always a few that either produce sap very late in the season and occasionally, none at all.

I finally came inside before dark. After changing out of my wet clothes, I took a shower then ran the vacuum over the floors and swept the kitchen.

Sargie didn’t make it home until past 7 saying they’d been very busy in the Vision Center. She closes tonight making it a long day for her.

I’m going to begin reading final projects for my class today. I’m fairly current on the weekly assignments, but the big ones are beginning to come in. This semester will be over in another four weeks. Hard to believe.

Time to get another cup of tea, listen to the news, and think a few deep thoughts.

After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…