This neck o’the woods

I could write all day about the current list of atrocities and tragedies in the news, but let’s heed the advice we’ve been giving each other here on this blog and focus on the good things in our lives, shall we?    I want to thank each of you who stop by to read my musings and join the conversations, it’s encouraging to hear from like minded people, truly. #MakeAmericaKindAgain  #MakeAmericaSaneAgain    either would do.

It’s maple sugaring season here in the Northeast, but you wouldn’t know it by the current weather trends.   We’ve had very little snow so far, the trees are tapped on our farm with a little flow, but the temps have not been cold enough overnight to get the sap flowing when the heat rises during the day.  We don’t have a sugar shack here on our farm, so we take ours to the community farm Sugar Shack in our town, where volunteers process it, bottle it and sell it to continue to support the farm.   You might wonder why pure maple syrup is so expensive compared to the fake stuff like Aunt J*mima, and the answer is there is so much work that goes into it, and so much tree sap is needed  – 40 gallons of clear tree sap boils down to one gallon of actual syrup.

Have you tried Maple Water?  I have found it in a few of the grocery stores in this area, but not all.  I absolutely love it – light, refreshing, with just a hint of maple – it’s the pure maple water(sap) that comes out of the tree, is flash pastuerized and sold in stores.  YUM! And it’s hydrating, it’s actually good for you!  I’m not getting any compensation for saying it – treat yourself to a bottle if you find it in your local stores.  Canadian runners have been using it to refuel for some time.

In my better health/better weight quest I have lost a few pounds and have gained some muscle, I’m not perfect with the food intake but I’ve made some headway.  My clothes are starting to feel better on me and that is a good beginning.   I continue to walk/hike/jog with the dogs, light weight training and all of this helps greatly with the Fibromyalgia I’ve been dealing with for the past five-six years give or take.  If you suffer from the same, in my experience, keep moving – that’s the best line of defense.  And.. eat much less sugar and dairy, much less processed foods.

 

L-R – My Sally and Frasier, K’s Gizmo on the right. Now that we live nextdoor to each other, we often take the dogs on walks together.  It motivates us both to get out there and keep moving.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

 – Henry David Thoreau

Our dear old  retired showhorse, Max, is now dealing with Glaucoma in one eye, thankfully not the painful variety.  He’s on four different meds to try to stave it off for a while and seems to be learning to live without vision on the left.  I’m glad we can give him the peace to deal with the handicap and he will not be shipped off to a kill pen like so many others, no longer useful.  Another reason to be so very grateful for what this old farm affords us.

Our son has begun the construct of his home just over the hill, the foundation is poured… and I am over the moon to have both kids so close by.  Over the years we will all benefit from this little patch of farmland not far from everything else, just the right mix of country and suburb.  He and his GF have worked hard to begin and build their careers and are very excited about the plans they’re making for their future together, it does my heart good.  🧡

That’s my mom in the red hoodie up there, the one who leaves awesome comments now and then and hates her picture to be taken but I do it anyway because – I GOTTA BE ME- .. and I love my mom.

One more update – I’m not happy about global warming so a mild winter is concerning, BUT… I do believe, because it’s been so mild… this batch of christmas trees might just actually survive.  Third time’s the charm?  Stay tuned…

I’ll close this post with something to ponder.  Why is it that men or the kids think they’re doing us a HUGE service when they lift a finger in the direction of  cleaning up after themselves  such as… oh, say… changing the toilet paper roll or washing the dinner dishes or flipping the load of laundry into the dryer or taking the trash out or putting the sneakers back in the closet instead of under the bench in the mudroom.  Aren’t they also the ones making the mess?  AmIright?  Just sayin –

Karen