Burr Morse

Hello again Maple People,

Hello again Maple People,

Normally we don't think of "subtleties" and sugar season in the same breath. After all, there's nothing subtle about preparing for a season that may only last two weeks (or in last year's case, one week!). Yup, for Vermont maple sugarin' where "t'all happens t'once", a better word would be "frenetic". There are, however, some "sweet" subtleties involved but to enjoy them, you've got to be old like me and thoroughly "steeped" in maple sugarin'. Take, for instance, the birds.

Betsy recently made the comment "Y'can herd folks into a cattle shoot just so far until they find a way to 'bolt.'" That brought back all kinds of recollections to me; namely that I'm pretty good at herdin' cattle. Yup, I can get right in a critter's head and stay one jump ahead of it but kids, now they're a different story. We all carry regrets about our child-rearing days and one that Betsy carried for a long time has recently immerged to her as a "plus".

I've always been attracted to the idea of "gold in them thar hills" but have never been able to actually go out and look for any (except of course, the "liquid" kind that we get from maple trees). I grew up hearing rumors of gold in Minister Brook over in Worcester, lots of it. The message, alas, always got punctuated with a wink and the words "All you gotta do is find it.". Lately I've been watching a TV show called "Gold Rush" and learning lots about the "finding" part; I've also learned a thing or two about my tender psyche...stay tuned.

Hello again Maple People,

Hello again Maple People,

If you're one of those hardcore curmudgeons who says "Don't sleep your life away" I say "Get a life!". And if you don't think sleeping is part of life, well, you're wrong...last night in my sleep, I trekked through the woods with my long-deceased father and saw the Alps from 30,000 feet up in a jet plane. Yup, some of my best living has been at high-revved REMS. In fact in true baby-like bliss, there are no bills to pay, no aches or pains, no kids to worry about...I'm the Wizard of Zs...life is good!

Hello again Maple People,

I had a dentist appointment last week and, contrary to the way it was when I was a kid, it's something I really look forward to these days. It's just a pleasant drive over to the office of Dr. Mark George in Barre and no matter what's going on with my teeth, light or heavy, I always look forward to the visit.

Hello again Maple People,