February Break

Is it already Thursday? Bummer. The week is flying by -- filled with energy well spent outdoors. The highlight has been learning how to tap trees for sap. I spent some of Monday and the whole of Wednesday out in the woods on the Thurston Compound doing just that. It is definitely my kind of work -- snow, sun, breeze, woods, power tools, Luna's company, independence, vertical gain (up and down, up and down, up and down -- I am the crazy one who loves it, making a last trip up to the highest orchard with a charged battery for the last seven or so taps when the boys said they would have left them for a different day). The work outside is communal yet independent. We are all working toward a common goal and we are all doing our parts off on our own, occasionally hollering from one to the other, asking for the location of a tool or material, but mostly working in the sound of the wind. I took the last walk up the trail with Luna only. The battery in the drill had kicked and there were only about 7 more taps to drill -- Jim considered leaving those taps for a different day, but I wanted to finish completely in that orchard before we left it. Valuing alone time in the woods I encouraged Jim to go help his Dad and Cliff near the barns and assured him I would grab a new battery and head back up alone and finish tapping. He deemed me "crazy" but agreed and off I went. The last walk up was a favorite -- as close to the perfection of the first walk up that day -- the light was soft and full and the shadow were long. It was around 4:30 or so and the clouds were doing that dark purple fluffy with pink tinges thing that I love and the woods were so quiet, aside from a few birds birding around. The trail was well packed and free of the debris of tools and materials that had flanked it throughout the work day. The day and its tasks were drawing to an end and I savored that last moment of the work day and the light of day. I silently thanked the universe and headed down the trail.




(Photos by Jim)