In Pursuit Of Maine: March 22, 2015 - The Sap Is Running

Sunday, March 22, 2015

March 22, 2015 - The Sap Is Running

Today is “Maple Syrup Sunday” in Maine. It’s a big celebration of the first harvest--the sugar harvest. There’s singing and dancing and food and, of course, maple syrup. People from away might not even know it was taking place. Everything looks the same as it always does in a spring that still looks like winter, and since the temperature was only 14 degrees today, it’s easy to miss the signs.

But if you ask the animals, they’ll tell you that the sap is running. Somehow, they know. I’ve always wondered if they can hear it running through the trees. I think they can. I think they hear the swoosh of it through the trunks, and they know that sound means warmer weather is on its way along with abundant pastures. Their spirits really start to pick up around this time. It’s not that they’re “down” in the wintertime like many humans are, but when the sap runs, the animals start going just a little crazy. They get antsy and quite comical at times, sneaking out of their stalls and pens whenever they get the chance. You can see it in the way they walk that they know winter is over, and if you look closely, I swear you’ll see them smile.

I should have known. A calendar on the wall means nothing. A news report is just babble. Spring comes when the Earth says it’s spring and not a moment sooner. And once the Earth does say it’s spring, look out! Everything happens at once. I hope you’re prepared.

The animals know the sap is running.

"The Plain Maine Cookbook" is my own collection of vintage Maine recipes that will immediately bring you back to a simpler time, a less confused time. These recipes are more than just comfort food. They're family food, traditional food, simple food, plain food. One bite and you'll say, "Ah, yes! I remember my grandmother used to make this. I had forgotten all about it!" Recipes for whoopie pies, funnel cakes, fried fiddleheads, haymaker's switchel, coffee can bread, glogg, and much more are in these pages. There is even a recipe on how to render lard. So open the door and go back to some simple, time-tested foods you can prepare easily. You'll find that you save money and waste less by "making do" with commodity cooking. What's in the pantry or in the garden is what's for dinner.

"So You Want to Move to Maine" is an invaluable little book in helping people to make a permanent move to Maine. It will save you a ton of time because all the initial footwork is done for you, including 100 links on how to find work and living quarters, getting your driver's license, pet requirements, programs for people with disabilities, programs for senior citizens, getting married in Maine, hidden taxes and expenses, hospitals, health insurance, handling a real winter like a pro, etc. Stop being "just a number" or another face in the crowd. Walk away from the rat race. Become boldly individualistic and make your mark in life. You can still do that in Maine, one of the last holdouts of ordinary, old-fashioned, kind, and decent American living.

I’ve chosen 37 unique fairy tales that will be loved by both adults and children as they can be read and interpreted on many levels. But if you are looking for only sweet tales that end in joy and fairness, you may want to pass this book by. Some fairy tales are simply “dark,” and that is because sometimes life is simply dark. Not always, of course, but often enough. Sometimes the hero lives; sometimes he dies. Check out my book, “Fairy Tales of Maine,” in the photo link below. If you are brave, you might just meet yourself in one of these tales.