Hello again Maple People, Memorial Day weekend is always special, not only for its original purpose to honor those who have sacrificed to keep us free, but also because it's really the first holiday when Vermont weather speaks "cookouts, get-togethers, and declarations of winter's end"…that is except this year. This year we all shared the […]
Hello again Maple People, The words "we need rain" have been used more times lately than you could shake a stick at and if it doesn't rain soon, we all may be out there "shakin'" sticks…that is ones of the crotched willow variety. Dowsing's what I'm talking about. The other day, my brother and I […]
Hello again Maple People, You've heard me say before that I was born with a chainsaw in my hands. I'm using that "third appendage" right now out in our post-sugarin', pre-bug woods workin' up a few yellow birch trees into next year's firewood. That's just a "warmup" for things to come though: a new […]
It was just a routine stop at Tractor Supply the other day for a few nuts, bolts, and a jug of oil when for some strange reason, I strayed from my direct path. Following stacks and racks of "impulse" stuff and ranching apparel, things that I neither wanted or could afford, I strangely headed, […]
Hello again Maple People, My first heart strings got pulled way back in 1951 up on our Robinson Hill family farm in Maple Corner. Back then, of course, the only electronic medium was radio and over our scratchy parlor model I, round-faced three-year-old, fell in love with the voice behind Tennessee Waltz. And I'm […]
Don't know if it's my "right brain" makeup or what, but I neither read tech manuals nor cookbooks. I say I can't. Betsy says I won't and I s'pose to be fair, she's closer to "on the money". I do know that either one of those type documents'll cause my brain to shut down quicker'n a "failure to attach […]
Hello again Maple People, 'Tis the season and Betsy's been bakin' up some real "storms" lately. The old stove's working pretty well, so says the apple pie I ended Thanksgiving day with! There was a time, though, last summer when that same stove had us stumped. She was about to bake something good but […]
Hello again Maple People, I just returned from Montpelier and noticed, days after The Event, that most of those cussed political signs have departed from the landscape. Seems to me a sad commentary on humanity that they'd go up in the first place…gol-derned landfill fodder that they are! Folks ought to know better, especially […]
Hello again Maple People, I've pledged before to exclude talk of politics, pestilence, or war from this column but once in a while something so important comes up that I have to "tweak" my rules. I'm sure you'll understand, what with America's recent election and hostile threats from the Middle East. Yup, there's no shortage […]
Hello again Maple People, Folks…We maple sugarmakers were so lucky that we did not get Sandy's high winds that might have blown down our trees. Our thoughts and prayers, however, go out to the folks south of Vermont who were so hurt by Hurricaine Sandy. Although it must seem like the "end of the […]