This I Remember

A huge yellow 'First National Bank' calendar hung, I don't remember where, but visible for all to see. So when February was torn off, we began to tease my dad about the start of sugaring. He patiently would explain to us why we had to wait for warmer temperatures. If it froze too hard at night, the bark on the trees would split where the spouts were in and sap would ooze out, resulting in each tap having to be driven in further or re-tapped. Neither of which was good for the tree We younger ones, stood by the sweet steaming pans watching the bubbling sap boiling down to syrup, checking the thermometer to see if it was 'syrup' yet. It had to be carefully done to prevent scorching. My dad would let the syrup boil down to a waxy thickness. Then, let more sap back in.