Making Maple Syrup

Monday we went to Kaleva to visit my grandparents and help them make maple syrup. (Thanks for the day off Daniel) The trees had already been tapped and they had just started cooking, so our job was to collect the sap. Unfortunately, the syrup had been cooking for only a few hours before we got there so it wasn't very sweet yet. By the time we left it had started getting sweet. As it cooks, there is one cup in the sugar shack that everyone uses to dip in the pan and get some out to taste. What is left in the cup after everyone is done drinking, they dump back in. As a kid, this was my favorite part of doing maple syrup. It tastes soo good as it gets sweeter and sweeter. But now, I have a hard time even drinking out of the cup. Tony refuses to. Some things are better when you're a kid.

I used to love doing maple syrup. I never could remember when it was time for syrup, so when my dad would tell me that they had started it was always a nice surprise. This year was no different. I figured it might be getting close to time, but I thought they weren't doing it anymore. Strawberry season is coming too, and I can't wait. Fresh Michigan strawberries are the best. I hope we will get a chance to up to pick them when they are ripe.

Who Says Nothing is Free

About this time two years ago we bought two new bikes, with the intention of riding them as a means of transportation in the summer. The idea was we would save gas and get exercise. A very wise decision, we thought. However, literally the day after we bought them I got hit by a car while riding. Completely ruined the front rim. And we never fixed the bike. So yesterday we went to Meijers and bought a new bike. With the weather getting nicer, and since we live so close to a good bike path, we hope that we will get to ride them on hopefully a daily basis.

And an added bonus: we got a free quarter sheet cake. Yeah. Free. We bought the bike and Tony noticed on the receipt it said you get a free cake. So we went back in and picked out a marble cake. And it is sitting in our fridge.... but at least it was free.

Sunshine

I love this weather. I know it is still March and that it supposed to snow again soon. I just don't care. I love the sun and the warmth. I love not needing to wear my big winter coat outside. I love being able to drive with my windows down and the radio blasting. It is such good medicine.

It makes me look forward to summer, spending long days at the beach. I can't wait for getting ice cream and swimming in Lake Michigan at sunset. I am excited to bring my sister to the beach to jump over the bigger than life waves. To fly kites with Tony. Summer is my favorite season and I am anxiously waiting for it to come.