From a book by Father O’Reilly “Not less important to the future welfare of your children, than anything you can teach them, is the priceless value you should accustom them to set upon time. Mothers… More
Soon the Days will Warm and the Maple Sap will Flow
As the February days come to an end, we know that it is time to traipse through the three feet of snow, out into the wood, to tap the maple trees on our back land.
Pretty soon the days will start to become warmer, while the night remain cold. This is the perfect weather for the sap to drain through the small tubes hammered into the trees and enter into the buckets hung with care.
In another week or so we should be able to begin the boiling process. This must be done outside. Last year, sitting in lawn chairs around the boiling sap, wrapped in blankets, was a nice reprieve from the school days. Pleasure books and hot cocoa around the bubbling liquid gold.
This year we kept track of how much syrup we actually use. Typically we go through a gallon per month, using it to put on our pancakes to naturally sweetening all kinds of baked goods. If we could produce even half of that off our own land, we would be very pleased.
Stay tuned for the updates as the season begins! Cold nights, warmer days not only mean maple syrup time, but are an indicator that spring is not too far off. Living in the North Country this is a very welcome sign indeed!
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Ode to a past Epiphany and the Store Bought Cake
Well, it’s not really a poem, but more of a memory and encouragement.
This was the year of the decorated store-bought angel food cake as our King Cake. I have no exact recollections of that Epiphany, but I’m sure it was one filled with babies, toddlers and diapers and no time to actually bake a cake.
This is my encouragement to young moms.
Do the best you can… you are still making memories! It doesn’t have to be Pinterest Pretty. I just has to ‘be’.
RECIPE
By a store-bought angel food cake. Melt down some frozen berries. Drizzle on top of said store-bought cake.
View my new Resources Page. I will continue to update throughout the coming weeks.
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Chickens and Stay At Home Orders
Seven years ago we ordered our first batch of chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery. Through the years the children have grown, chickens have passed on and occasionally more chicks have been added.
Josh, the little guy with the plaid shirt above, seemed to be the one who took the most liking to the flock. Each year he incubates a few eggs to add to our coop.
This year the hatch is occurring during our “stay at home” time due to living in NY and COVID-19. It is times like this that I am grateful to live where we do. We have no worries about fresh air, outside play or loneliness. I know there are others who have it much, much worse than we do. And I think about them often.
I love the feeling that comes with the baby chicks. The awe and the joy that new life brings. Josh has grown, but he still loves his chickens and chicks just as much as he did seven years ago. And so I contemplate how things can change, but yet stay the same.
Stay safe everyone! As my Aunt Bea used to say, “This too shall pass.”
Simple Homeschooler 