We’re not boiling sap, but we are working in the sugarbush (a grove or orchard of maple trees that we tap for sap) to prepare it for next spring.  Rob and Jim have been taking advantage of the few warm days of fall we have left to clear away brush that has grown up around the saphouse (the building in which we process sap) and along the sugarbush trails.  It pays to complete whatever work you can outside of the often unforgiving months of late winter when it’s time to tap trees and run the sap lines.

We’re also taking the time to enjoy the last vestiges of the beautiful fall colors where we live.  This year’s muted golds, oranges and reds will soon be on the ground, waiting to be raked and mulched.  We awoke to 3 inches of heavy, wet snow this morning and the permission forms for our school’s alpine skiing program are due in a couple of weeks.  Winter is fast approaching.

But for now, we’re looking forward to decorating the sugarhouse to welcome trick-or-treaters this Monday.  We challenged ourselves this year to create costumes from our chest of past years’ costumes and dress up clothes.  We’ve come up with an eclectic bunch – Mario (of Mario Brothers fame), Skippy Jon Jones (picture book hero), Harry Potter and a Gypsy Fortuneteller – unless someone changes their mind between now and then!

Happy Halloween!

Cindi