[Mark Cowdrey]

Looking good Ed. I always thought I liked the dark stuff better until I started boiling myself. We are making a medium on the light side w a nice flavor. The ten day looks text book, we’ll see how it “pans” out!
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

We are rolling. Sap running around 2.1-2.3%. Dealing w a leaky back pan…
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Well so much for all my prattling BS about an early season. Eric has boiled once a week or so ago, just enough to sweeten the pan. Even though it was 40 today, didn’t really want to shake loose. Still have our roadside buckets to hang. Here’s hoping March is moderate.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Ed,
No not enough to boil. Was just running in pretty good as we were setting up. Still need to get the sugar house in order. The coming col down should give us time to focus on the sugar house.
Michael, where are you located?
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Larry,
How is the pole attached at the front of the runners? On my sleigh it is bolted to the “roll” (piece between the runner front ends), lapped with a dado about 3/4″ deep and braced to the runner ends w steel rods. Regardless, if the pole is relatively simple to remove, I might thin about replacing it w my own the length I wanted, then when it it is time to give it back, swap the original pole back on.
I don’t like having pole sticking out in front myself, lines get caught on it and it is bound to screw me up in a tight spot sooner or later.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

We started tapping our biggest bush yesterday & finished today. I’m not sure on the number but it has to be 4-500. Finished tapping it today & got the vac & releaser set up. Of course the releaser is malfunctioning. Most of the holes were running pretty good when we drilled them. We have about another 1000 to go, spread all around, including about 130 here at my place. This is pretty much my friends deal, esp. the whole vac & RO stuff. He is way into it.
I was thinking today that it might be time to think of sugaring as 2 weeks in Feb plus March rather than March +2 weeks in April.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Larry,
I saw one of those over at Bill Gales’s in Boscawen before he moved north. As the draw-back to that set-up was obvious I wondered about an advantage. It would be quick & simple to unhook one for a twitch horse and then team them up again on the sled. I have no idea whether the folks who used this setup ever did that.
Also, I suspect, though again, I am guessing, that back when the teams were used so much more regularly that they might have gone along together better than some of our (my) weekend teams do these days. Don’t know, just guessing.
Hope you are having a good winter.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Interesting reason for the offset Ed and it makes sense. I had heard it was so that the single horse could walk in the track of a horse (and runner) from a team set-up that had been down the road.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Tim & Jay have a good approach. If you instruct him at all, tell him to eliminate the “warm fuzzies” and do not use the words “enthusiast” or “gentle giants” (they set my teeth on edge) in the narrative. This is about useful work by people who know what they are doing.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

The hangman may be SOL.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

So, have you got half your wood & half your hay left? Hope so. I’m pretty close.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Briefly,
I just got back a little while ago from the project. I called this afternoon & heard that things were moving along & they expected to finished today so I went up to haul scoots back. It was probably 6:30-quarter till seven (dark) when Brad & John drove out of the woods. Things generally went well, no one got hurt and the job got done, apparently to the satisfaction of the FS.
I’ll let those involved at the site provide more detail later.
A mighty “Huzzah” for Ed Thayer’s organizational skill & dedication.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Thanks for all the work the BoD is doing regarding website merging & upgrading. I believe it is an appropriate priority. I suggest that if the threshold donation is $1 that at the point of payment there is an explanation in no uncertain terms that this amount is appropriate only for those without the wherewithal to contribute a responsible sum, such as $20 or more.
Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Jay,
Keep in mind that those who sugar are generally “on call” through mid-April (at least in central NH).
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!
Mark

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