Thursday, March 15, 2007

Northern Flicker

I heard the Northern Flickers. They were high up in the Maple tree.

The Forsythia is beginning to bloom.

In the New England states Maple Sugar Camps will begin again.
I wonder if I can gather maple sugar from my tree?
I wonder how it is done.

4 comments:

Chrissie said...

Maple Sugar Camps, that sounds like fun and hard work :-) How wonderful to make your own though. Enjoyed the pics as always!

smilnsigh said...

'Maple Sugar Camps' Well, I'm over a bit, from VT. But it's still North over here. {As you know from my snow pics} And I am old enough to remember folks tapping maple trees. Not as a business. Just around their homes.

I don't believe my family did it because I don't remember all the boiling down, which is necessary. Nor do I remember the total joy of throwing some syrup out on {clean} snow and eating the 'deliciousness' which froze. :-)

But I do remember seeing taps in maple trees.

Mari-Nanci
{who is rather as old as the hills -grin-}

Q said...

Dear Chris,
I think I am a romantic! I forgot about the work part. It just seems so charming. I like maple syrup and when I saw the Flickers I thought about how maple syrup comes to me. Maybe my tree doesn't want to be tapped. Maybe when my husband retires he will think it would be fun to make our own syrup. I could take pictures!
Happy you enjoyed the photos. I am still upset with your sparrows for nipping all of your forsythia. We will just have to tell them to, "stop that!"
~Q~ who does not like forsythia being nipped by sparrows or Jack Frost

Q said...

Dear Mari-Nanci,
"Old as the Hills" and "Happy as the Valley", I say!
I have never seen a Maple tree tapped with its bucket, only paintings of such a scene. A fine memory you shared. Thank you.
I am smelling and tasting this "deliciousness" you write of.
I may need to travel to a Maple Sugar Camp some day. I was in Vermont in the summer and did not even think to stop and see a Maple tree with its bucket. I shall put this on my "to see" list.
~Q~