Greetings, All
Amy Dixon, what a list! Thank you all for the ideas of which other trees to tap! We tap Box Elder and Silver Maple. We have no birch at all, but there are some large walnuts. I am working on Hubby to add a few spiles there. The Walnut trees are on a hillside with a thorny underbrush of wild currant and black raspberries. We can never beat the squirrels to the nuts. It would be better to clear an area with just a low groundcover of grasses so we can actually find the nuts before the squirrels.
Thank you for the idea, Namelus: I have no idea how to do reverse osmosis, but always willing to learn. We use metal spiles and plastic “IV” tubes (purchased for this purpose) which run from the spiles into a vinegar bottle (which hangs from the spiles) and this system keeps the sap clean. All items are washed and bleached first. He only installs about six spiles, and from those mature trees he can make enough syrup to last a year for the two of us. It does take a lot of boiling down, but, that is easy outside on our Camp Chef propane stove.
It sounds as if we need to get 100 birch trees if we want birch sap. I want to get birch trees for other herbal reasons, too, and it would be great to get sugar maples and other nut trees. I want to make this a homesteader and permaculture oasis. He keeps saying that we will not benefit because of our age. I keep telling him that it is for the future. Plan ahead. Perhaps one of the grandchildren will inherit the place.
Little Sister: I am sure that your step-granddaughter appreciates you just being there for her. Sometimes it is just the presence of a loving and understanding person, who does not judge and who is not too nosey, that creates a safe place. Asking, “How are YOU,” and leaving it at that.
I am glad you are seeing your grandson. The connections are priceless.
18<sup>th</sup> Birthday: We were able to leave the house and safely drive down the hill to get to the big city for the birthday. Drive was a bit slippery still. We met at an Old Country Buffet. Since we got there first, I asked for balloons for the birthday boy and we put the children’s coloring placemats on the table with crayons. The teenagers, all four, enjoyed playing with the balloons.
I took a picture with my three grandsons standing in the same positions they did 10 years ago in another picture. All you can see is my head. Funny. The little ones grow up and we are proud of them.
The 18-year-old may have a job at a camp that is about 12 miles from us. He asked if he could spend time with us on his random ½ days or overnights when he is off. Bear in mind that his family is only 40 minutes from the camp. I was impressed that he asked, because he knows that he is welcome at any time for any reason for any length of time. Whenever I see him, I just get this loving smile and a huge hug that lasts until someone else demands our attention.
The three brothers, all appreciate my husband, their step-grandpa, and he gets great hugs, too. He has been around since before they were born so they are close. Last night we sat across the table from my Ex-husband. The two “husbands” are good friends and they talk to each other and help each other quite a bit. Family is what you make it. We are fortunate to have put our problems behind us and have a solid family unit. Next weekend we are going to a wedding that is three hours away and all staying in a rental house together. It is his niece, our God-daughter, the ex’s and mine, that is getting married. I am lucky to still be accepted as a member of his family. Very blessed.
Oh, a dear family friend brought some Alpaca wool from Peru. It is beautiful. Before I realized why she had it, I asked her what I could make for her. It turns out she brought it for me! Still, I will make her a lovely lacey scarf and a cap. (She should have married my son, but he died before they were engaged. I consider her my D-I-L.) Yesterday, my Ex asked her to the lake for Memorial Weekend. Yup, she should have been family. She IS family; family of the heart if not legally.
Columbia River: I have heard of satellite phones. Sounds expensive to use, but worth it if they were needed. At the moment we are 40 and 60 minutes away from family. Both families know to come here if there was a real problem. It would be the not knowing how they are doing that would drive me nuts.
The other option would be ham radio. The problem there is if there is an EMP of any kind, our radio, antenna, and the local repeater would be down. Communication is one of the issues I am concerned about, only because we do not live near the family. (And as the mother/grandmother, I am the caretaker and I worry.) It would take three days of walking to get here if SHTF.
OldMtWoman: Never give up. Write your story out, and perhaps you will find a way link it with Daisy’s help.
I’m glad I don’t live on your hillside. We noticed that in the cities they were pretty much free of snow. I felt out of place wearing my snowboots while my daughter is wearing fancy leather dress boots. Ha ha. We still have snow, and a lot of melt water, but you take the cake after that snowy bomb. Hopefully you can see out of your windows soon.
Time to do some shopping. Grocery and pharmacy. Hubby did use his reserved pills this past week. I wish he would save back a few more than a week’s worth. (Perhaps I will need to be sneaky.) Then perhaps I can get in a quick trip to JoAnn Fabrics and find some flannel so his new pajamas can have sleeves.
It is SPRING! Rejoice. It was an interesting winter; hopefully, the rest of the year will be not quite as much. It will be mild. Summer will be normal. Crops will flourish. Just the right amount of water…Positive thinking.
Later, Folks.