Tidbits #2

Today is a tidbit day, nothing big, just tidbit thoughts.

1. Starting to wonder if we will need tip-ups or a boat for fishing opener in a week and a half.  Who knows?  This is by far the latest that there has been ice on Lake 26 in a really LONG time.

2.  Chickens with spring fever is not a good thing.  They are crabby, don't like the snow, and scold me whenever I try and take the few eggs that they are laying.  Thank goodness we have Lucy, or ever faithful Leghorn.

3.  You know that spring needs to get here when you tell your kids to go out and play and they look at you and say "Mom we are so over snow!"  Ouch!  Bring on the bike riding weather.

4.  I have been dealing with a sprained ankle and nerve damage/pain and no dorsal flexion in my right foot for over a month now.  Found out I have a herniated right L5 disk and may need surgery after I finish my spring semester finals.  Yuck!  What a way to start summer.

Well, have a great snow melting day.

I Hate April Snow

Ok.... What is up with this Wisconsin weather?  It is the end of April and we still have tons of snow.  Hopefully that will be ending this weekend as it is "predicted" to reach 70 degrees.  We'll see.

Sugaring has been going well the last few weeks.  We are over our 70 gallons of sap collected (we lost count) but we have 12 pints of syrup canned already and 24+ gallons yet to boil down.  That should be enough to last us another 2 years.  :)

I am so glad that I have not started my seeds yet.  By the time that the ground gets to a place were I can actually plant out the seedlings they would be too long and gangly.  I will be starting my seeds this weekend I believe.  I can't wait to get my hand dirty in the garden and my chickies can wait to get outside without snow.   They are all a bit crabby.

Well off to school I go - I have less than one month left of this semester.  I have loved it.  Wishing you all a bright and sunny snow melting day.

Sugaring Time Is Here

Things are warming up.  We are starting to see day time temps up above the freezing level and night time temps are still below freezing.  What does this mean?  Well, it is time to dust off the rubber mallet, taps and buckets.  I am going to tap some Maple trees this afternoon.

Last spring sprung really fast and we totally missed sugaring season here in the northwoods.  Seeing has how we just opened out last pint jar of syrup from 2011, we need a good sweet season.  I am hoping to get at least 70 gallons of sap this year if not more.  We will just have to see what out 8 taps will do. 

Off to the woods I go.
I will keep you all updated on the flow.

How You Know You Live With A Trapper

How you know you live with a trapper.
1.  You catch random wifts of "beaver" as you pass the hooks that your "Trapper" hangs his outside clothes on.
2.  The door knobs of the barn and the steering wheel of the truck are a little slippery with beaver grease.
3.  You have happy chickens who get a beaver carcass as a big treat in their run.
4.  Your hubby has a treasured ice chisel.  Heaven help us if it ever got lost.
5.  You know the difference between a conibear and leg hold trap.
6.  You always know what is good ice and what is bad ice.
7.  There are Ziploc baggies of ? in the freezer.  Oh yeah, it is just bait.
8.  The aroma of the Fur Shed in town doesn't offend you.
9.  Your kids and nephews like to go beaver and rat "hunting".
10.  Your trapper gets a bit stir crazy when there is just too much ice to chop so you are waiting for things to warm up and the ice to thin out.