March 27, 2010. I've begun my new project entitled "Travels with the Red Beret". My aim is to be photographed in many places wearing the red beret which I purchased in Paris during my recent visit to France.
Mae S had become wrinkle conscious. She wrote in her journal, "... I have to face wrinkles, the first sign of old age. It's not easy to accept, but I remind myself that they do not really diminish the beauty of an old face."
When I went to the carnival at King school I had my RB photo taken near the red wagon for which I purchased two raffle tickets. I almost never win so it's my donation to the fund raiser. Cedar posed with me as she had her hair spray colored and her face painted for the event. Geezis was our photographer.
Then we went out to camp and I had my RB photo taken in the smoke and steam. Grandson Colter was there. I almost didn't recognize him as he has grown so much. I got a big hug from big Gabe and had a little chat with Terry, too. Then Wallis and I went back to Deer River with two buckets of syrup and a bag of dry wood.
I started trying to organize my photos on the laptop. I downloaded a photo program but I am not very good with it, yet.
March 28, 2010. Today is Chey's birthday (1984) so Cedar and I wrapped second hand treasures. She wrote the card and decorated it with dog stickers. You can never have too many dogs at a party. So Chey had a sugar bush birthday party. Faith came out with Freda and Autumn and an assortment of grands.
Cedar and I emptied cans near the camp. Then she quit and left me to the quiet task. I had a forever moment! It happened as I stood between two trees with sap dripping into newly emptied cans. The eager dripping melody from one to the other held me somehow astonished to be a participant in this serenade. I heard the voices of four generations moving through the forest like a wave of humanity. The voices were punctuated by the drips as we gathered sap, enjoyed the lovely day and being together in the moment.
March 29, 2010. The big event of the day is the window! It is in place! It opens! It closes! It has a screen! I made a ripping fire and it's popping grandly. But the starter paper offered some interesting new from Jan 11, 2009. It reported that two rescued horses were moved into some empty stalls at the stables on Graceland. The horses are named Max and Bandit. Oh, Elvis would have liked that!
The "Kalavela" also made news that day. As you may know the Kalavela is the Finnish national epic. It is considered to have a place with the great literature of Europe. Several years ago I saw a play entitled "Dream of the Salmon Maiden". It was based on a story in the Kalavela. It was a wonderful experience and I shall never forget how the young woman flung herself into the river and was accepted into the salmon nation.
Mae S wrote on the 28th, "... the landscape is gloomy this season in Maine, brown and dank... the maple syrup season has been good this spring (1983)." We can say the same! We've had a generous flow and will pull taps on Wednesday. The sugar bush demands much of us and it will be nice to close camp and move on to other things that have been waiting for attention. Annie made sugar cakes for the first time. They are nearly as good as my mother's legendary cakes. People would drive from Red Lake to purchase the few that she could spare. It wasn't just the incredible flavor but a feeling that you were biting into a delicately pure kind of decadence. My cakes were always hard and brittle and not at all the stuff of legend. The carpenters and I agree wholeheartedly that people who tap their own trees and boil their own sap cannot appreciate the maple syrup that comes from the grocery store. It does sound snobbish to say but it almost makes me sick to think of putting that stuff on a pancake.
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