GETTING READY

 Yesterday we got our maple syrup supplies out of storage, cleaned and ready for the season.

 First job was drilling the holes for the taps.

 Then Owen drove in the tap making it snug against the tree. Oma made sure everything was done right.

 We kept moving through our property selecting trees and getting Owen to drill the holes.

 He is almost an expert.

Finally we have 26 trees tapped and ready for the warm weather to get the sap flowing.

It may be a few days before that happens.

MARCH BREAK

March Break started early for Owen. We brought him home Wednesday with the intent of starting our maple syrup production on Thursday. Owen wants to take a bottle back for his teacher and class to sample. Unfortunately the weather didn't co-operate. Winter has returned and we now have a new foot of wet snow on everything.

We had this Lego kit just in case we had a rainy day; we got a snow day instead and Owen was glad to have something new to put together.

Today we will help Owen drill a few trees and put out the buckets. Saturday is to be sunny and above freezing; the sap should flow.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.

IT'S STARTING TO THAW

Life, back here in the bush,  is quiet this time of the year. We've had some warm days and some folks have started collecting maple sap but we will wait a few more weeks until Owen can come and help.

In the meantime I'm trying to get ready to start work on our trailer modifications once the warm weather arrives for good.

Yesterday I found these in my workshop. They are drawer glides I bought at least 35 years ago when we first talked about renovating our kitchen back in Brampton. They will come in handy when I start building the cabinets for the trailer.

One of the local families holds a vintage snowmobile rally every year.

I would guess that the machine seen above is close to 50 years old, and still going strong. Of course today's machine are faster, smoother and have heated seats.

We love elderberries. Mary makes juice and pies from them and we pick them wild up here.

We would like to have our own elderberry patch so last week we went out and cut some young shoots in the hopes that we can get them to root down by our pond this spring.

Still need to be careful when driving. Our snow may be disappearing but we often get freezing rain now. This would be an expensive slide off the road.

Drive carefully everyone and thanks for stopping by.

WE'RE STILL HERE

We're still here, haven't hibernated or flown south. Yesterday we walked the road and the sun shone on the new fallen snow; it was beautiful. As you can see Mary has been busy. These knitted booties are for Kate. The booties are lined and will be so cozy on her feet when she visits.

Of course the sewing room is in full production mode as Mary has 3 shows she is submitting small quilts for.  One show is all about reflections. Can you see that in the quilt above?

Another project is for Alaska. Mary has been partnered with Jeanette and the theme is "My Backyard" Still lots of work needed before this is ready to submit.

Food is always a high priority around here and we are trying to lose weight. These homemade mini donuts made from coconut flour and eggs (no sugar) fit our new eating style perfectly.

Daily walks through the bush or across the lake keep us active and the muscles finely tuned.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping an eye on us.

YOU NEVER KNOW

It is quiet around here this week ............. too quiet. Owen is back in school and we are back to our winter routines: vacuuming the house, quilting, doing laundry, snowshoeing and ice-fishing. But you never know what you will see around the next bend.

Yesterday on our drive to town we came around a corner and saw a tree across the road. I figured it was knocked down by the snowplow but as we got closer I knew I was wrong.

This was the reason the tree was down and he was busy having lunch.

I thought beavers stayed indoors during the winter; guess I have a few things to learn.


Not the best picture quality as I took them off of Mary's cell phone.

Be careful out there and watch out for beavers.

NO HEAT

Yesterday Owen and I took my truck in for a new thermostat. There was no heat in the cab and that isn't a pleasant experience this time of year.

Owen carefully inspected all the equipment and we explained how it all worked.

Owen was in there like a "dirty shirt"; didn't want to miss anything.

Owen looked after the tools while Abe worked on the truck. Owen was as good as gold and learned a lot about the garage. We will miss him when school starts next week.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

NEVER TOO COLD

Having a five year old in the house means our days start early and are full. Yesterday, before 7, Owen was helping  Oma make muffins.

Once the muffins were in the oven he helped grandpa make fire-starters. We use egg cartons to hold wood chips and then pour melted wax over everything; makes great fire-starters.

Even though it was very cold out Owen bundled up and we all went outside to enjoy the snow. He loves his new sleigh and has learned to lean a way out to help steer it.

Down at the lake he decided it was a good time to sing like a bird. This went on for several minutes while we enjoyed his musical interlude.

Owen is very cautious and insisted we stay close to shore as yesterday we broke through the ice when snowshoeing on our pond. Here he and Oma check for cracks in the ice.

Always the curious one here he tries to dig out a log frozen into the ground. Remember it is -25*C out and Owen is oblivious to the cold. He would have played out there all afternoon but we knew he would get frostbite if he stayed much longer.

No idea what today's plans are; we usually just go with the flow.

Happy New Year everyone and thanks for stopping by.