On Thursday, Noah's Environmental Club took a trip to the Corcoran Sugar House. It's near and dear to our hearts, of course, because it gives me a chance to remember Tom Corcoran ~ and celebrate the magic of making maple syrup. It's really one of the few silver linings in a Maine spring. You can see the snow + mud that keeps us washing Noah's snow pants and coat every two days.
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| Here comes Noah with his field notebook in a bag around his neck. I'm not sure how many notes he is taking, but the bag came in handy to hold his muddy mittens. |
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| I am told that the Thomas J. Corcoran sign will get a fresh coat of paint this summer. |
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| Boiling the sap... |
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| Checking specific gravity with a hydrometer |
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| Fresh maple syrup! Yum. |
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| Rest in peace, Lucy :) |
That night, Noah asked me again about Lucy (Lucy was our very old cat who died this summer). He knows that she is in heaven, and that it is a nice place, but he hasn't been able to wrap his head around the fact that we can never see her or play with her again. He asked again - did she die? Yes, I said, Lucy did die. "Will all of our kitties die?" I said yes, some day they will, but until then we will love them and enjoy every minute with them. "ALL of my kitties will DIE?" He was inconsolable. The poor little guy cried himself to sleep that night. It was gut-wrenching to hear as a parent. I know he was really tired but the sadness just took over his whole little body.
April Fools Day brought a winter storm that closed everything down AND heavy, heavy snow. Here is a branch in the back yard. Noah and I were making a snowperson and we heard snaps and cracks coming from the tree....but I thought that smaller branches might come down, not this HUGE branch. It made quite a loud sound when it came down. Since then, another tree has fallen ~ we will have a springtime project cleaning up trees from the yard. Guess we will add them to the burn pile...give that old Christmas tree some company.
What to do on a snow day to keep a 4-year old busy? Plug in the steam mop, of course! He's a good helper (I think he just likes to make the steam)
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| Playing frisbee in the snow with Papa |
Another favorite activity of Noah's these days? Showering. He LOVES getting in the shower and playing. He can spend up to 45 minutes in the shower! He plays with tub toys but also fills bottles and pretends to clean the shower with the sponge. That's my boy!
On Saturday, the snow remained but the temps got up to the high 40's. We played outside and then later all four of us took a walk down the farm road and up to Whitter Farm.
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| Momma and Eli |
At the farm, Gene and Noah found farmer Jake at work. Our timing couldn't have been better! Noah got to hop into the skid steer and help Jake fill the feed wagon. It doesn't get any better than this for Noah.........
I am busy at the office on Monday getting ready for the
NEOA conference. I'll leave for Portland at the crack of dawn on Wednesday at be at the registration desk with Becky by 8 am. I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends and colleagues ...but feeling a little guilty leaving Gene at home with ALL of the nighttime feedings for two nights. Fortunately, he was able to delay the start of his new job for a few days while I am away.
Is it really snowing again? Just glanced out the window and there it is. Spring has GOT to be just around the corner, right?
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