Tiger’s Water Bowl

3-26-2018

Tiger Cat has a unique way of drinking water out of the bowl we leave on the floor for the cats. We actually have the bowl on a tray because often more water ends up on the floor than in the cat. Tiger will sit or sometimes even lay down next to the water bowl and dip one of his paws in, repeatedly dunking it until it is thoroughly wet. Then he licks the water off his paw. He will next use the other foot doing the same thing. This makes funny little watery dunking swishing noises, so we know when he is doing this trick. It sloshes the water around in the bowl and over the sides making a wet messy puddle. He is the only cat who does this, even if we scold him. So the water bowl has its own tray and we constantly make sure it is refilled so the other cats can drink it responsibly. It is fairly amusing to watch Tiger Cat drink.

Sap Steam

3-25-2018

The sap is running! It finally got warm enough for the sap to travel up the trees where our taps drip it out one drop at a time into the metal sap buckets. My husband has been using snow shoes to collect our 20 buckets and now we are boiling it all on the porch. We upgraded this year from a one burner and one pot turkey fryer to a free standing two burner car camping stove and two large flat chafing pans. This boils substantially more sap incredibly quicker. I love to stand next to the boiling sap and immerse my head in the sweet smelling steam rising voluminously from the pans. Careful not to scald my face or lungs, I breath it in and revel in the sweet beauty of maple syrup making.

Singing Bowls and Koshi Chimes

3-24-2018

I went to the yoga studio this morning. It always makes me feel worthy and blessed to be part of a like minded group enjoying all the benefits of practicing yoga together. The stretching, meditation, and breathing all bring about something of a transcendence from the mundane and lift my spirit where it can fly freely into the beyond. At then of this class during shavasana the instructor brought out the singing bowls and then the koshi chimes. It was unbelievably stunning, breathtaking, mesmerizing. I completely floated away on the vibrations, adrift in the dreaming void. My solid form vanished and I became the sound waves traveling in all directions eternally. True inner peace.

Hot Echinacea Tea

3-23-2018

I was feeling a little off today, stuffy with a scratchy throat. So I decided to take it easy and settled into the sofa curled around a mug of hot echinacea tea. I boiled the water on the stove as that seems to make a difference in the steeping process; it’s better than microwaving the water. Then I added a touch of honey and fresh squeezed lemon juice. I wrap my hands around the mug and gingerly sip the tea, letting it rest against the back of my throat before swallowing. It feels marvelous as it heat slides down soothing all aches and pains. This is an agreeable way to spend an afternoon.

Snow Falling Off The Roof

3-22-2018

THUWMP! The whole house shakes with the force of the impact. It warmed up today, and the snow is slowly sliding off the roof as a long think ice slab which randomly breaks off in giant chunks that fall and hit the foundation. The low toned thuwmp is often preceded by a muted scraping sound as part of the snow pack breaks loose and skids off the metal roof. All this excitement has the cats somewhat freaked out. Every time a piece of ice falls, they run around trying to figure out what is causing all the commotion in their normally calm environment. The biggest cat is the most afraid; he just hides under the sofa and won’t come out until the ice chunks freeze back into place later this evening when the temperature drops (or when ever he gets hungry). Some day I’ll sit at the window and actually see some of it fall.

Spring Cleaning

3-21-2018

Yep, I’m one of those people… I do like to open up the house and shake some of the cobwebs and dust out every spring. It usually takes me a long day of physical labor to get it done, but I don’t have the energy (or ambition) to get it all done today. To top it off, I have recently read a couple of books about cleaning out and getting rid of stuff to simplify your life. So I am ready to go through all the accumulated junk and make it disappear. There is vacuuming, washing all of the furniture coverings, pounding out all the pillows, dusting, washing the windows, and the hardest past of all, going through everything. So today I started some of those projects, we’ll see how far I actually get… But for now, it feels wonderfully splendid to be working around the house.

Happy Equinox!

3-20-2018

Oh JOY! Oh RAPTURE! I am exceedingly happy that in is now officially SPRING!!!! I don’t care if it is still cold and the ground is still cover with feet of snow. The daytime is now longer than the night time! This has bee a long hard cold miserable winter. It am profoundly delighted that winter is finally done. I didn’t do anything special, but I did go outside and sit on the porch to enjoy the fresh crisp air of the first day of spring. Now, of course, I am looking forward to rafting season and summer! The first day of spring is only the beginning!

Rainbows At Sunset

3-19-2018

YEAH!!!! The sun beams once again at sunset hit the prism wind-chime hanging on the porch so that the whole living room dances with bright rainbows for a few minutes before the sun disappears behind the western hill above us. It is like something from a fantasy land to sit on the sofa and have tiny luminous rainbows swirling their radiant colors across all the surfaces in the room. When I look out toward the wind-chime the brilliant miniature rainbows flash in my eyes dazzling with pure light. It is truly a fantastic sight.

Maple Fest

3-18-2018

Today a friend came over and the three of us went over to Shaver Hill for their annual NY Maple Days Maple Fest pancake breakfast. YUM!!!!!!!! We go ever year. All you can eat pancakes, breakfast sausage patties, and pure freshly made maple syrup. It has been so cold this spring so far that they were not actually boiling this weekend, but the breakfast is held in the boiling room snuggled around the giant industrial evaporator. They set up a tasting table as well where you can sample all their new and traditional maple products and maple infusions. It is mega-maple morning! Delicious!

Corned Beef And Cabbage

3-17-2018

I know that eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day is the expected thing to do. However, I really like corned beef and cabbage. We eat it several times a year. We but the beef when it goes on sale in March and freeze it for corned beef and cabbage yummyness all year round. My husband lets it boil for a few hours in a big pot on the stove making the whole house smell like corned beef. I walk around sniffing the sir while it cooks. Then at the correct times for perfect eating consistency we throw in potatoes, carrots, onions, sometimes celery, and cabbage. If he is feeling exceptionally festive he will make an Irish soda bread as well. It all comes out at the same time, hot and tasty. It is one of my all time favorite meals!