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The sap is rising

There are several sure signs of spring in Maine.  Besides the ubiquitous robins, for me the return of the woodpeckers hammering away in the woods near our homes (first in Camden and now in Hope) means spring is truly here:  the bugs are awake, moving, and ready to be turned into supper.  Another is the return of the buzzards, whom I came to love in Camden.  They roosted in trees at the end of our driveway and across the street; they are gregarious, family-oriented, raucous and huge.  I learned after moving to Maine that they too are a sure sign of spring:  they only appear when the rising air currents are warm enough to lift the scent of carrion!

Sap buckets on the maple trees....On route 131 in Searsmont (or thereabouts)

On the more delectable side of things, in late winter you know the hardware store is getting ready for spring with maple syrup taps  (…like a spigot/tube that you hammer into the maple tree…)  that are in a bucket on the counter next to the cash register.  A few weeks later you can be driving along the back roads that criss-cross the state (we have only one highway, I- 95 up and down the center, so everything is a backroad byway to get to anywhere) and see trees sprouting maple sap buckets to catch the dripping rising sap.  Did you know that it takes FORTY (yes, 40) gallons of sap to make ONE gallon of syrup?  And the sap is clear…looks and tastes like sugar water!  One more photo to share:

Join me in the chorus: I LOVE living in Maine! I am finally where I was meant to be!

And tomorrow I’ll do a proud Mama post and share Eli’s wrestling progress…..WOOT!

2 Responses to “The sap is rising”

  1. Judy Whitehead Says:

    My dad used to tap and cook in the spring. I sure do miss the home cooked maple syrup! It’s amazing how much sap it takes and how long it takes to cook down properly.

  2. Rachel Parris Says:

    Funny. I was reading down this post really enjoying the pictures, and wondering what it felt like to live in a place like that;and your next line answered my question. Nice anticipation of your reader’s thinking! Tell me again how you landed in Maine. Was it a school choice?