This is how I spent my birthday -- surrounded by blooming bulbs (and other plants). How lucky to be born on the first day of spring! 

This is the time of year when people in snowy climates start losing their minds. We’ve had enough of the cold and the white stuff, yet there could be more snow well into April, even into May.

When the days are above freezing---here, they’re in the 30s and 40s---and the nights are below---in the teens and 20s---the sap starts to run in the maple trees. The month-long sugaring season gives everyone something to look forward to, just when cabin fever really starts to set in. Wood fires abound and, if you step outside on certain days, you can smell the heady mix of wood smoke and maple sugar.

Once you start boiling the sap, you must keep it going or lose sap to evaporation. It takes roughly 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, so every drop counts.

Anything as labor intensive as this requires many hands. Sugar masters make the chores as pleasant as possible. They organize potluck meals, and ask people to bring along their musical instruments, children and dogs. There’s nothing like a party to make the work flow.

Here are some photos I took a few years ago of a sugarhouse operation. Dave helped gather and stack wood. I helped chronicle the event with pictures. We both enjoyed the people, the music and the food. 

Click to enlarge any photo.

Like most aspects of life, there's a good side to the combination of long days and strong sun, along with the possibility of a disaster. 

Daytime temperatures are in the 30s and 40s, nighttime in the 20s, which makes it easy for river ice to melt during the day, then freeze up a little at night. 

We don't want it to melt too quickly, for obvious reasons. A nice slow spring is a good spring.

You have to remember that, not only do we have a ton of snow and ice here waiting to melt, but we're downstream from a glacier up north that could bury us all. Whoa baby, you don't want that stuff coming down on your head!

Stay tuned. If I show up on one of your doorsteps, you'll know why. 

June sent these two photos of Spring creeping into Delaware, at least coming to her yard. Even though they had enough snow there to close schools last Friday, the tropical air is back, and it brought spring blossoms with it. Aren't these beautiful flowers? I think I can smell them. Thanks, June!

Karen posted a response to the Ah, Spring post, and sent along these photos of her flower and vegetable gardens in Southern California as proof of her green thumb. Be sure to read her comment.

Karen, you've made believers of us all! And, we'll be right out for some salad! Set another 24 places at your table, please.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick holds a bear cub in his jacket while another is weighed in a hat Friday.

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Cub scout: Fisheries and Wildlife officials take Gov. Patrick on mission to meet Whately bear, make a happy discovery

The Massachusetts governor came out our way yesterday, and went on a wildlife hunt for bear. Found him a few. To read the entire story, from the Greenfield Recorder, follow the link in the headline above. 


What a refreshing story for these depressing times!

Here's a photo from the Springfield newspaper, and  a link to their story and video. It's worth a look if you like bears! 

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/gov_deval_patrick_comes_to_wes.html