Boils Law and the Physics of Cooking Maple Sap

A light rain is falling outside and the air has a decided chill; perfect time for me to come inside and have a cup of maple sap tea. All over the North Country people are boiling down maple sap to make maple syrup. Most of them probably have real sugar shacks, little sheds that enclose their fire and boiling pan. Not us. Our pan is in the open. Maybe someday we will get an authentic sugar shack but for now, the house will have to do. I can sit here in the living room and view the boiling process right outside the window. A few years ago we had a blizzard every weekend we boiled and the house made an excellent shack.

This is our first boil of the season. I had a bit of a late start because I had to set the cooker up this morning. Ideally I would have had everything already set but we picked sap nearly every night this week so I really didn't have any good time to get ready. I lost a bit of time this morning moving the concrete blocks that we use to surround the fire. Then I had to go to Fleet to get an elbow for the stovepipe. I probably had the fire going by 10 am and a good boil before noon. I have put over 60 gallons into the pan so far and have a bit more to add yet. At some point I will have to quit adding so the sap can cook down into syrup  and I would like to be at that stage before dark. Actually, before we go to the woods to pick the sap that ran today.

Cooking maple sap is not difficult, but it is demanding. You have to add more wood to the fire every few minutes to keep the boil going and every time you had sap, the boil slows, or stops; at least in our primitive setup. Once I am done adding sap, all I have to do is keep the rolling boil going until the volume is reduced. Then I am close to syrup. All this keeps me busy. Usually Karen and I do this together but she is in a workshop this weekend; both days from 9 to 5, so the boiling vigil is a solo effort this weekend.

This is probably a good time to address Boils Law as it relates to cooking maple sap.  Boils Law states: When one is in the process of reducing maple sap to maple syrup, a vigorous boil is required. In the beginning stages of the process, there is no such thing as a boiling action that is too vigorous. The corollary to Boils Law, known as Boils Over Law, states that when the sap has been reduced to a small volume and nears the syrup state, it is possible to have a boil that is too vigorous, resulting in a boiling over of the sap/syrup and the ruination of the whole effort.

I just came in from adding the last sap for today. Gotta' stop sometime. I think I have put about 90 gallons into the pan so far today. Now it is just boil, boil, boil. The rain has picked up. The firewood is covered  so the rain won't bother anything. Actually, we can use the rain to help keep the fire danger down. Last weekend our neighbor, our good neighbor Al, was burning a brush pile and the fire got away from him. Burned up the grass under his pines but not  much else. The DNR was called and put out the fire. Karen and I went over to help but didn't have much to do. Karen is afraid I will burn the rest of Al's grass with the sap fire so she made me promise to get the hose out and put a nozzle on it. Between the rain and the hose I should be safe enough.

 The wind chimes keep up a nearly constant song. The chimes hang from our prayer flag tipi; a frame of four poles set in pyramid fashion. The Tibetan prayer flags are all tattered and worn from the winter's wind and the small flags we added show plenty of wear as well. It was a hard winter in many ways and here at Whiskey Jack Flats, we all bear the signs of what was the toughest winter on record for us. But this morning I heard killdeers calling and yesterday Karen saw a woodchuck along the road; spring will have its' way.

Time to add more wood; can't forget Boils Law. Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Peace and love to you all,
Mike

Tired Out, Ain't It?

The title says it all; what else can I say? Work has been hectic the past two days and my feet ache, even with the numbness. Maybe I need new work boots or cushion insoles? Or maybe I need time off...? My sleep has been deeper of late but still falls short of what I need. Because of the sap run we are on the go from dark till dark. Tonight we took the evening off, figuring that maybe the sap didn't run so well today. After a morning low of 5 degrees, the high for the day was 28. We're hoping we didn't screw up by not going out tonight. I am thankful for the night off.

Everyone asks how I am doing and I tell them I am doing pretty well and that is the truth, for the most part. Sometimes I answer with the real truth but usually we manage to co-habit the middle ground of politeness and vague replies. My face is finally getting a little thinner and Karen says the acne on my back has improved. My appetite seems to have dropped off a bit and that is really good news. But my energy and stamina lag behind. Nights like tonight when I am beat, thin me out emotionally and the little things that Karen does, or says, to take care of me, bring me close to tears. I know that sometimes the tears that don't fall cause the aches behind my eyes.

It isn't just the physical things that get me down. Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed with things that I thought should have been done. If I am not feeling overwhelmed, I feel lost and adrift. Maybe it's a bit of mild depression, maybe it's spring fever but my ambition and the ability to focus on tasks, has taken a hike. During my chemo phase I used to lie awake at night, planning various things that I was going to do and now I can't remember what they were and when I do remember, I don't care anymore. Big ambitions for the summer party? Gone. Building new canoe packs? Gone. And it's not things like that either. I can't seem to remember to call the ostomy people to ask for advice on different bags or belts. I am not journaling enough and the old spectre of writing (with a capital W) keeps showing up and I keep avoiding eye contact with this familiar ghost of past ambitions. There are other ghosts too. I keep fighting the old urge to run; to take up my pack and hit the trail to outrun my past, to run until I can't anymore. I must be worn down because I haven't had that urge in years.

I know, and plenty of people are telling me, that I have to be patient but I have been a patient long enough and want to be fully recovered right now, thank you very much. But my body and my energy level keep reminding me that recovery isn't going to happen overnight. I would rant and kick and scream over the delay but I just don't have the energy right now. Maybe tomorrow. Tonight, I am going to plant myself on the couch and do nothing and try to call that good for now.

Peace and love to you all,
Mike

Hard Work for Sweetness

We are owned by trees. What I mean to say is we are tree slaves. We are obligated each night now, to drive the 13 miles to our sugar bush in the Chippewa National Forest and check the white plastic buckets hanging from silver colored spiles for sap. Some nights, like yesterday, there are buckets overflowing with clear sweet sap. Some nights like tonight, our arms get a break from carrying full 5 gallon buckets through the woods and we get just a little. In any case, like I said, we are now owned by the trees.

We've made an agreement with them. We will put in the taps and you will give us what you can. We promise to come visit each night no matter what kind of day we've had at work,no matter how tired we are,no matter if we know in our hearts the sap has not run, we will come to you each night to receive what gifts you can give and we will do this for these few weeks each spring because we believe in this exchange of hard work for sweetness.

Peace,

Karen

The Winds of March

The wind chimes say it all; the weather is unsettled and angry.  The wind sweeps down from the north and west, straight off the Canadian prairies, still locked in the grip of winter and blast the wind chimes, setting them to clanking. No gentle spring breeze here, coaxing music from the air. Today the wind bullies the chimes, bullies us all, sending the crows skidding sideways downwind. Spring seems pretty far away tonight.  Today for the first time this year, I saw cumulus clouds, summer clouds, floating in the blue sky above the ice on Lake Bemidji. Summer didn't seem so far away then but now... gray wooly clouds rage across the sky and gentle blue of the afternoon and the promise of spring, are gone.

Here at Whiskey Jack Flats things are unsettled too. Yes, it has been two and a half weeks since my last chemo and yes, my port is out but the various side effects have not diminished much. The soles of my feet are still mostly numb. The chemo-acne on my back, or bacne, as Karen calls it, must be drying up some if the spots on my chest are any indication. She says she can see a reduction in the swelling of my face and neck though I have a hard time seeing much of a change there. We are hopeful that some of the other things, like zero testosterone, will begin to turn around soon. I am waiting, impatiently, for the changes to occur.

Karen is having a difficult time this week. I was not the picture of excitement when the port came out. Yes, it is an important milestone but the side effects skew my perception of when the process will be over, and that threw Karen for a loop. Plus, she is struggling with some tension at work surrounding her leaving for Anderson's Fabric in Blackduck.  The gentle cumulus clouds in her life have changed to cold gray billows that block the sun.

Perhaps we just feel like we have had enough cloudy weather for the past ten months. Perhaps, in spite of knowing better, we find it easier to be like the wind that is trying to rip the shingles off the roof; unsettled and angry. This is not our natural state. We are trying to be upbeat, to make plans for summer, to give consideration to a future of fun and sun and friends and family. It's just that some days it is harder to find the light, to find the smile and believe in hope or anything good at all. Sometimes we just need to hunker down and wait for the ill winds to blow themselves out, knowing the sun will shine again. And sometimes the waiting is the most difficult thing of all.

Peace and love to you all.
Mike

What Lies Beneath

Last night at around eight I peeled the dressing off of Mike's shoulder. Underneath I found...a smaller dressing lying flat against  his skin. I nestled my face against it and breathed a sigh of relief.

Peace,
Karen

Potato Chips and Coke at the end....or not

Mike went to the dentist before his surgery yesterday. He came home in time to pace the floor for about 30 minutes before we had to leave for Same Day Surgery. This time there was none of the dread associated with the past several surgeries hanging in the pit of my belly, just an overwhelming desire for it to be over. And it is - over, but without the imagined fanfare and flourishes it is just over.

The port came out without a hitch, a large pressure bandage temporarily replaces the little bump on Mike's chest. The dressing gets to come off tonight. A clear tegaderm bandage will be placed over the wound for 5 days and then...that's it. My spot is back and cancer is over. Healing is not.

Yesterday, Mike said it was not over for him. He said it's not over until the side effects of chemo are gone. This was a surprise to me. I thought we'd made it through the last portage and we could put our packs down. As on all our trips I was looking forward to potato chips and Coke at the end but there are none. This is like getting to the last portage to find your car has been stolen and now you have to walk to town. It's a bit shocking. Terribly disappointing.

Now I'm wondering if I put some expectations out there, some unrealistic expectations. Could I have been foolish enough to really think it was ever going to be over? Can it ever really be over?

Peace and confusion,

Karen

Wow....it's good to be wrong

I don't really even have the words for today. May tomorrow or the next day or weeks down the road I'll be able to adequately verbalize what this day means to me. Maybe I will be able to convey the sense of relief that it is really over. Maybe.

Today Mike's port comes out, nearly 8 months to the day. It's a day I've been waiting for since it was put in. I will be able to put my face in the pocket of Mike's left shoulder without the hard lump of his port poking me, reminding me of the sudden seriousness of our life. I will be able to look at his chest, run my fingers over the smooth skin of his collar bones and not have the "in your face" reminder that cancer once knocked on our door and let itself into our lives. It will be good to have it gone.

In about an hour I'll be sitting in a waiting room, again. I will be stress knitting while Mike sleeps through the removal. I'm not worried about the surgery this time. I will be waiting with anticipation for the moment I can look at the dressing and know it is over for us.

Today is filled with anticipation and future. A future you could not have convinced me 10 months ago we would have. Wow....it's good to be wrong.

Peace,

Karen

Change is a Good Thing

We've had rain off and on for the past couple of days. The snow pack is thinner each day. Patches of brown grass show through here and there. The bent sticks of last years crops poke up from the black loam of our garden. The atmosphere's inversion blankets us with thick fog each morning now. Yesterday, I whispered "rest well my friends" to the snowshoes even when instinct insists we could get more snow. I'm ready for change.

Change is what is happening at Whiskey Jack Flats. Mike is a little better each day with chemo behind us. He's more himself these days. For that I am thankful. Yesterday he had blood work drawn and it was all back to normal which means this: THE DAMN PORT COMES OUT AND IT IS OVER! Yes it is soooo over. This is the day I've been waiting for. I get my spot back! It's not that the port has been that big a deal, I'm glad he had it for chemo, but it is the little number which signaled the harsh reality of the past ten months. I am looking forward to a better and brighter future.

While we are speaking of the future I'm going to share a little more good news. 

A week ago I received a phone call from Anderson Fabrics (www.andersonfabrics.com) in Blackduck Minnesota. A little hamlet about 22 miles north of here. They manufacture designer drapes, beadspreads, pillows and window coverings. They also have an outlet store and a quilt shop. Well they offered me a job as assistant manager of the outlet/quilt shop. With a move to the manager's position in 12 -18 months. Needless to say I was floored. I visited with them on Monday for three hours. I toured the factory. Met some of the 300 staff and walked through the shop. There is room for growth in the quilt store and they want me (me can you believe it?) to take it to the next level. So I gave it my three day rule (see below) and on Thursday morning I took the job! I go to work for them on April 19 and am very excited about the opportunity.

Leaving my current job was not an easy decision. I like my job, co-workers and my boss. Telling her I was leaving was one of the hardest things I've had to do. Carol has been very good to me. I would not be in the position to take my new job if it weren't for all she has taught me and allowed me to try. For that I will forever be thankful. 

It's feeling like the stars have changed for Mike and I. It feels like we have the world by the short hairs (as Mike says). I want to remember what we have walked through and how we got here and I never want to lose sight of who we are. We have been shaped by Mike's cancer. I think I'm a better person for it and if that is the case then I don't get to be mad at the cancer; I should be thankful. And I am.

Who knew I'd ever say that?

Peace

Karen

 Karen's Three Day Rule for Making Decisions

All big decisions get three days of thought. I have never made a bad decision when I've done this. It's a rule I live by and it works.

Happy No Chemo Day!!

Karen and I leave notes for each other. When I came home from work today her note started with "Happy No Chemo Day!". And she is correct. Today I did not have to go to chemotherapy. For the first time since early December, I do not have to wear a pump or sit for 3 or 4 hours while my chemo is pumped into the port in my chest. For the first time since my diagnosis last May, I have the freedom to live my life. Today is a small, but important beginning to the rest of my life, the rest of our life together. Next week, if my blood counts are good, I have my port removed, another important milestone in putting cancer behind us.  From here on out, every day should bring some improvement, some relief from months of side effects. I am usually a patient man but I do not want to be patient any longer. I want to be 110% right now, damnit. The truth is I still feel like I'm 75 years old and I know I will be a long time getting back to some kind of real vitality and strength. But, I will be getting better.

Karen and I are beginning to make some plans for the summer; when to go on vacation and when to have the party.  We will be putting more details about the party in a later blog but for those of you who are interested, June 19th is the day. We stopped out at the sugarbush this past Sunday and it won't be long before we start tapping our trees again. Neither us of are quite ready to begin because once you start, that is all you do till the sap run ends. No use  making the season longer than necessary. We stopped at a nearby logging operation and walked on bare ground. The air was heavy with the scent of cedar and balsam fir. Karen stopped to pet each patch of bare moss we passed and we keyed out 3 species of lichens. Pileated woodpeckers laughed at us but we didn't care. We were together, in the forest, on a sunny afternoon and for that short period of time we knew there was no way our lives could be better. Each day is a blessing, or should be, and today is the beginning of many blessings to come.

Peace and love to you all
Mike

Chips....it's what's for dinner

Mike is in St Cloud at some Wastewater/Water Treatment School thingy. So that leaves me unsupervised for a few days. I know he's going to read this and I also know he won't be a bit surprised at how quickly I can revert to the deplorable eating habits I had when he first found me.

Let me say that not one vegetable, other than two baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, has crossed the barrier of my lips in the last 36 hours. I am veggie free! I have eaten fruit in the form of four nearly green bananas and I keep eying the pineapple on the counter but it's looking labor intensive and the chocolate covered cherries are, well, more accessible

I had pizza for breakfast yesterday at about 11 am when I remembered I hadn't eaten yet. At Target, where I was picking up my medications, I accidentally bought a bag of Double Chocolate Milano cookies and a bag of Tahiti's because they were 2 for $5.00. I ate half of the Milano's yesterday. After Target I came home and had Lay's potato chips and dip for lunch. At about 7 pm I cooked my steak and had a baked potato. I only ate half the steak so I was able to have a repeat for supper tonight with the addition of toast. At 2 am, I had more toast and a couple of Tahiti's for a snack and went back to bed.

Mike is rolling his eyes about now and working up the "What do I got to do to get you to take care of yourself while I'm gone?" lecture. The truth is I can and do take care of my self even if it is like a 13 yr old left home alone for the first time. And this is the first time. The first time Mike and I have been apart for more than a days work since....since I can't remember when? I'm a little giddy with the freedom. Not that I would want a steady diet of it but I think this separation is good for us both. It signals that we are both OK.

So, I screwed around with my freedom this morning and ran out of time for the yogurt, granola, fruit parfait I was going to make (it's the thought that counts). I stopped at McDonald's for a number 2 and it was delicious, guilt and all!  I was still too full at lunch from the sausage McMuffin with egg, so ate my banana and put my homemade chicken soup in the fridge. I had two cheese sticks (organic from Harmony food co-op) for snack with my coffee this afternoon and now that dinner is over I am considering the pineapple again, proof I know what I should eat....except there is Maple Nut ice cream in the freezer.

Peace People,
Karen