Springtime – Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm

Snow Geese & Other Feathered Friends Migrating Back North

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 01:17:00 +0000

The Birds!

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here. I am in fine fettle now that spring has arrived and I hope you are too. Many signs of spring are all around as I am sure you’ve noticed. Daylight Savings Time means it’s light enough when I get home from the farm, seeing the crocuses bloom and the pussy willows budding. For the last two weeks, being around our house has been like being in the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”. Hundreds and thousands of starlings have migrated north and I swear, all of them are perched in my trees! The racket they make is quite loud. Sometimes they take off all at once for no apparent reason and swoop and swirl in unison like the beginning of a murmuration. It is a sight to behold!

Snow Geese Formation Spotted

Another migratory species, snow geese, passed over our house a number of weeks ago. In all the years I have lived there, I have never been at the right place at the right time to observe them. What a sight to see! The sun was lowering in the west and the geese were so high up, the late day rays made them look like twinkle lights or strands of silver beads. The honking they emitted during flight was different than the Canadian geese that had flown over earlier that day. That was why I looked up and saw them. What a beautiful thing. As they flew overhead, I saw a jet leaving a contrail behind it and couldn’t help, but think “you have it easy” with powerful engines carrying you along. The bird species has its heart, wings and some mysterious directional sense to make a journey that could be thousands of miles in length. Below is some information about bird migration from allaboutbirds.org.

Bird Migratory Observations

Geese winging their way south in wrinkled V-shaped flocks is perhaps the classic picture of migration—the annual, large-scale movement of birds between their breeding (summer) homes and their non-breeding (winter) grounds. Of the more than 650 species of North American breeding birds, more than half are migratory. Birds that nest in the Northern Hemisphere tend to migrate northward in the spring to take advantage of burgeoning insect populations, budding plants and an abundance of nesting locations. As winter approaches and the availability of insects and other food drops, the birds move south again. Escaping the cold is a motivating factor but many species, including hummingbirds, can withstand freezing temperatures as long as an adequate supply of food is available. The two primary resources being sought are food and nesting locations.

Origins of long-distance migration

While short-distance migration probably developed from a fairly simple search for food, the origins of long-distance migration patterns are much more complex. They’ve evolved over thousands of years and are controlled at least partially by the genetic makeup of the birds. They also incorporate responses to weather, geography, food sources, day length, and other factors.

For birds that winter in the tropics, it seems strange to imagine leaving home and embarking on a migration north. Why make such an arduous trip north in spring? One idea is that through many generations, the tropical ancestors of these birds dispersed from their tropical breeding sites northward. The seasonal abundance of insect food and greater day length allowed them to raise more young (4–6 on average) than their stay-at-home tropical relatives (2–3 on average). As their breeding zones moved north during periods of glacial retreat, the birds continued to return to their tropical homes as winter weather and declining food supplies made life more difficult. Supporting this theory is the fact that most North American vireos, flycatchers, tanagers, warblers, orioles, and swallows have evolved from forms that originated in the tropics.

Taking a journey that can stretch to a round-trip distance of several thousand miles is a dangerous and arduous undertaking. It is an effort that tests both the birds’ physical and mental capabilities. The physical stress of the trip, lack of adequate food supplies along the way, bad weather, and increased exposure to predators all add to the hazards of the journey.

Migrating birds can cover thousands of miles in their annual travels, often traveling the same course year after year with little deviation. First-year birds often make their very first migration on their own. Somehow they can find their winter home despite never having seen it before, and return the following spring to where they were born. The secrets of their amazing navigational skills aren’t fully understood, partly because birds combine several different types of senses when they navigate. Birds can get compass information from the sun, the stars, and by sensing the earth’s magnetic field. They also get information from the position of the setting sun and from landmarks seen during the day. There’s even evidence that sense of smell plays a role, at least for homing pigeons.

Find out more at The Cornell Lab

What an amazing thing for birds to accomplish. Migration. Well, I am happy to be migrating into spring, my favorite time of year. I seem to awaken in spring like a bear coming out of hibernation. Watch for the subtle greening of the brush and the grass and the trees. It’s lovely to see the various shades of green develop as the next two to three months progress. That’s all for now. Stay safe. Take care and talk to you soon. Aunt Eunice

Signs of Spring, Flowering Friends Return, Virus News

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 15:16:00 +0000

Keeping Safe at Home

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here and sending a special greeting out hoping you are all doing well. I am a member of the “older” demographic that is especially susceptible to this new-fangled germ that is currently in our midst. I will begin working from home after today. I will be sad not to be on the farm regularly to see spring coming and watch the baby animals being born. I live in a lovely area though and will enjoy the signs of spring there. Pussy willows have already been out for a few weeks. My grandchildren and I picked a few branches to keep inside in a vase so we can touch the soft catkins from which the plant gets its common name. The word ‘catkin’ is derived from the Dutch word for kitten. In spring, these catkins certainly look like kittens’ paws or tails.

Forsythia Flowers Emerge

A true harbinger of spring, forsythia bursts into a vibrant display of golden blooms before any leaf foliage emerges. This can create stunning golden mounds throughout landscapes, breaking up the drab snow-covered ground with a promise of what’s to come. With newer varieties growing in smaller, more manageable sizes, every landscape should have a forsythia to break out of the late winter blues. More about forsythia from bhg.com

A member of the olive family, they are a reminder to me of my mother’s home that at one time had numerous forsythia bushes all around the property. They always make me smile as I remember with fondness my children mangling the pronunciation of the word forsythia. Along with their Aunt M, they decided my daughter Cynthia should be called Forcynthia. Whatever you call them and however you pronounce it, they are a yellow harbinger of the warm sun we eagerly await as winter slowly loosens its grip.

Aconite Flowers & Snow Drops

Another splash of early yellow comes from winter aconite flowers. According to the folks at Flowerexpert.com winter aconites appear almost overnight, providing a very welcome splash of color in January, often flowering with snowdrops. They have an underground corm, from which the yellow wild flowers and characteristic “frill” of leaves emerge, sometimes as early as Christmas. These wild flowers are related to buttercups. At Quiet Valley they just popped out in the last week or two along with the ever pretty and delicate snowdrops. No snow for them to push through this year.

Practice Safety Precautions – New Virus

I am hoping this latest virus will pass by quickly. I am keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. Remember don’t shake hands, stay home if it’s feasible, cough into a tissue, wash your hands constantly and for 20 seconds each time. Be careful of knobs, handles, etc. I got tired of singing Happy Birthday while I wash my hands so have expanded my selection to “John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt”, the ABCs which I sing with the grandkids, “The Old Grey Mare” and “God Bless America” which I think is longer than 20 seconds. Try to keep your spirits up and be patient and kind to others in need of help, supplies, etc.

That’s all for now. Take care and I will be talking to you soon. Aunt Eunice

More Daylight – What’s Not to Love? Daylight Savings Time

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 15:48:00 +0000

Hello Folks,

Aunt Eunice here. Saturday March 7th will begin Daylight Savings Time (technically it is really Sunday March 8th at 2:00 in the morning, but that has always seemed like it is still Saturday night to me!!). According to CNN – There’s an age-old myth that Daylight Saving was a practice adopted to give farmers extra time in the sun to work out in the field. But, that’s not really why dozens of countries follow it.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a system to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours. For eight months out of the year, the US and dozens of other countries follow DST, and for the remaining four months, revert back to standard time in order to take full advantage of the sunlight. On the second Sunday of March at 2 a.m., clocks move forward one hour. Then, on the first Sunday of November at 2 a.m., the clocks turn back an hour. A good way to remember it? The time shifts match the seasons: Clocks “spring” forward an hour in March and “fall” back in November.

During the summer months, the sun is out for longer periods of time, so you can rely on daylight to avoid switching lights on. The clocks revert back to standard time for the winter months so the sun can rise earlier and the world starts the day off with sunlight – otherwise some places wouldn’t see the sun come up until almost 8:30 a.m. The current March-November system the US follows began in 2007, but the concept of “saving daylight” is much older. It’s debated who originally came up with the idea, but Benjamin Franklin appeared to have first mentioned it in 1784, when he wrote a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris.

But not everyone has opted to follow DST. Only 70 countries around the world “save daylight” every year. In the US, states are not required by law to follow DST — Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it. Other states — like Florida and California — are working to observe DST year-round (rather than just between March and November).

I will appreciate the daylight whenever it comes. I will have some light to take a walk in after I get home from the farm. You never know what you will find on a walk in my neck of the woods. There is plenty of wildlife like whitetail deer, squirrels galore, peregrine falcons, hawks, pileated woodpecker, blue heron, a multitude of other bird species, rabbits, chipmunks, fox, bear (no close encounters, fortunately), a fisher, a muskrat in the pond and much more. Sunsets can be particularly lovely. It is a quiet time after the rush and crush of a busy work day. Peaceful times such as that help foster creativity. This extended time of daylight will also allow some minutes to enjoy my lovely porch, a wonderful retreat especially on a rainy day. Swing on the hammock, curl up with a good book in the rocking chair or pull out one of the mats and stretch out for a cat nap. Whatever your preference is, revel in the daylight and the approach of spring. That’s all for now, folks. Take care and talk to you soon. Aunt Eunice

March Onward! Tapping Maple Trees, Fresh Eggs & Donuts

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 15:27:00 +0000

The Origins of Leap Year

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here. February 2020 is a leap year. According to Chiff.com – A leap year is any year with 366 days instead of the usual 365 days. Therefore, leap day in 2020 will fall on Saturday, February 29th. So…why the extra day? It was the ancient Egyptians who first figured out that the solar year and the calendar year didn’t always match up. That’s because it actually takes the Earth a little longer than a year to travel around the Sun – 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact. Therefore, as hours accumulated over the centuries, an extra day was occasionally added to the calendar, and over time the practice became more or less official. The Romans first designated February 29 as leap day, but a more precise formula (still in use today) was adopted in the 16th century when the Gregorian calendar fine-tuned the calculations to include a leap day in years only divisible by four – 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, etc.

New Lambs, Farm Fresh Eggs, Donuts

Besides being a Leap Year, February has been an interesting month at Quiet Valley. We had an early set of lambs, “Quentin” the Quiet Valley groundhog says it will be an early spring. Punxsutawney Phil agreed with him. The chickens are enjoying the sun and are providing us with plenty of eggs which doesn’t always happen this time of year, unless you provide them with an artificial light source. It is so nice to have fresh eggs! I never knew what a big difference there is between older ones and newly laid ones until I came to Quiet Valley. One morning I was working in the cellar kitchen and had a nice fire going in the hearth. I was waiting for the first school to arrive for their visit to an 1800s farm. I hadn’t had breakfast so I grabbed a couple of eggs, one green and one light brown, and fried them up in the spider. Not a real spider, of course, but a round cast iron frying pan that has several long legs supporting it. Hence the resemblance to a real arachnid. The eggs were delicious, simple fried eggs, so fresh, so good! The green egg was from an Araucana hen and the light brown from the Buff Orpington. They both tasted the same, just better because they were fresh. The Monday winter camp group learned how to make raised donuts using mashed potatoes in the dough. I was fortunate to get a sample. We also had our first staff winter training session. As part of that day I gave a lesson about medicinal herbs and their uses on the farm in the 19th century.

The Science & Technique of Maple Sugaring

There are eight days left in February, but signs of March marching toward us and onto our calendars are all around. One sign is the fact that the temperature is right for tapping the sugar maple trees! It needs to be about 40 degrees in the day and below freezing at night. According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, understanding how maple sap is formed requires some knowledge about tree physiology. In the later summer and fall, maple trees virtually stop growing and begin storing excess starches throughout the sapwood, especially in cells called ray cells. This excess starch remains in storage as long as the wood remains colder than about 40 degrees F. Whenever wood temperatures reach around 40 degrees F, enzymes in the ray cells change the starches to sugars, largely sucrose. This sugar then passes into the tree sap. As the temperature increases to about 45 degrees F, the enzymes stop functioning and sugar is no longer produced. In March and April, the sugar changes back to starch—except during periods of flow. Rising temperature creates pressure inside trees, causing sap to flow. When a hole is bored into a tree, wood fibers that are water/sap carrying vessels are severed, allowing sap to drip out of the tree.

I love maple syrup on buttermilk pancakes. When my husband is baking homemade sticky buns, he makes a special batch for me where he substitutes maple syrup for the corn syrup. What a treat! It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. It requires lots of heat (firewood, your kitchen stove, an evaporator) to get the majority of the moisture out of the sap. If you drink the sap before boiling it, you will sense the flavor potential of what it will taste like after it boils down to syrup. If you boil it past the syrup point you could cook it all the way down to sugar. If you decide to tap your sugar maples and boil the sap down inside your home, you may wish to rethink the location. My friend did that once and all the wallpaper in her kitchen peeled off due to the release of so much moisture and warmth. Yikes!!

Preparation for Spring Activity

The second Sunday in March means a return of Daylight Savings Time. Part of the kitchen garden is being tilled so as March marches forward we can get early spring crops in by the end of the month. Our spring programs and field trips take place in March and spring cleaning will begin. By April will we be running on all cylinders!

Well, that’s all for now, folks. Thanks for checking in. Be talking to you soon. Aunt Eunice

Frolic – It’s What Baby Goats and Sheep Do

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Tue, 14 May 2019 23:45:00 +0000

Hello folks,

Aunt Eunice is back to talk about frolicking. Does anyone remember as a young child just leaping and jumping about with mad abandon for no particular reason? Just for the sheer joy of it? Oh, to be young enough to kick my heels up again!

When I watch the new baby goats (known as kids) and baby sheep (known as lambs) run and gambol about in a gleeful excess of energy at only a few days old, I do admit to some mild jealousy. I had my chance though. My mother always said I had two speeds. In the daytime, completely on, full speed ahead! Lots of running and kicking up heels then. At night time, the sleep of the dead. An atomic blast wouldn’t have budged me. Oh, to sleep that well again! The things we don’t fully appreciate until we get older.

As the first weekend of Farm Animal Frolic approaches I eagerly anticipate watching the performance as the baby animals show off for us. Come out and enjoy the show with me. Frolic is Saturdays May 18 & 25 10am to 4pm and Sundays May 19 & 26 from noon to 4pm. Lots to see and do. See the full schedule of activities.

May is Planting Season, Learn to Garden at Quiet Valley!

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Wed, 08 May 2019 22:49:00 +0000

Hello Folks,

Aunt Eunice here. Well, we are getting busier than a beehive here on the farm. School classes are buzzing along with the students enjoying everything from learning about spinning, to school in the 1890s, to how to throw a corn dart! Great fun and a great educational opportunity.

The “mostly” warmer weather that finally arrived has Farmer Milton jumping into gardening mode. Any gardener feels their excitement level rise in May. This is when the prime planting season really gets rolling. The farm’s kitchen garden is rather large and takes a lot of tending, but the reward for hard work comes later when you harvest your produce. We have already enjoyed a large amount of asparagus. Things like peas, beets, carrots, spinach, broccoli, onions and lettuce were planted. Soon cabbages and potatoes will be planted in the field. As a younger gal I helped with the undesirable task of picking potato bugs off the plants.

Later at the end of May when the temperature rises, the frost sensitive vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans of many types, cucumbers, summer squash and more will join the rest. Plants like horseradish and Jerusalem artichoke may not be in everyone’s garden, but they are right at home in our Pennsylvania German one.

Jeanne, our resident herb expert, has tackled the herbal section of the garden and it is looking great. She still needs to put in lavender and rosemary when it’s warmer and has requested lots and lots of marigolds. Marigolds are not only pretty, but help keep certain insects away.

According to EHow, French and African marigolds are often cited as the most powerful Tagetes species for repelling insects. Both contain chemical compounds called thiopenes in their seeds, roots and other plant parts that are offensive to nematodes, aphids, cabbage maggots, white flies and other pests. French marigolds (T. patula) and African marigolds (T. erecta) are also pretty additions to the garden. The flower heads of the French varieties come in single or multiple whorls and in solid or variegated shades of yellow, orange and burgundy. African (sometimes referred to as “American”) species are taller than French marigolds and have larger pom pom-shaped flowers in solid, sunny colors. More Info on Marigold Insect Repellent

Most of us here at Quiet Valley are avid gardeners and enjoy using food and herbs we grow ourselves. If you would like some nice, healthy, locally grown vegetable plants for your garden, come out to the farm for our Farm Animal Frolic on May 18, 19, 25 or 26. Gary Oiler, a QV founder, retired farm manager and horticulturist, raises plants that will be offered for sale. Come the first weekend for the best selection.

If you would like to learn about gardening come out to Quiet Valley’s Summer Garden Party on Saturday June 15th. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much room. Raising vegetable plants and herbs in containers is very rewarding.

I hope all of you will find some way to partake in the joy of gardening. Growing something for yourself feeds the soul as well as the body. I suggest you start with a pot of rosemary, a pot of lemon thyme and some basil. All fragrant and delicious when used in recipes. Here is a recipe to try. QV Lemon Thyme shortbread

That’s all for now. Thanks for checking in, folks. Aunt Eunice

Lasting Lessons for School-aged Visitors at Quiet Valley

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 21:59:00 +0000

Hello Folks,

Aunt Eunice here. The “peepers” are calling, robins moved in even before that and a number of groundhogs are out and about. The farm had its Spring Clean Up on Saturday April 6 and looks like a shiny new penny. We’d like to thank all the folks who came out and helped.

School groups came out yesterday for the first day of Spring Farm Tours. On this historic tour of a traditional homestead, children have the opportunity to observe a typical day on the farm, visit with the animals, and learn something about family life in 19th century rural Pennsylvania. There is also time to visit the one room school and have a “science” lesson on simple machines and play some old fashion games. It’s nice to see the classes as they absorb information about the past and have a good time while doing it.

Today was Egg Day for the April preschool class. They observed frog eggs from the pond, and learned about chicken eggs and how babies hatch out of them using their egg tooth. They dyed eggs in natural materials such as onion skins and red cabbage. They also examined the eggs of the largest of birds, an emu and ostrich. Their little eyes grew almost as big as the ostrich egg as they saw just how large an egg can be. After a story they all headed down to the farm and had a chance to meet the latest additions to the farm family, baby chicks. Such fun! I feel young as a spring hen when I join in the activities of their class.

Speaking of eggs, this is Easter week and the perfect time to start a family tradition of an Easter tree if you don’t already practice it. It is a great activity for your children or even adults. It adds quite a festive touch to the yard this time of year. The original Quiet Valley family was Lutheran, but if you aren’t it can simply be an Egg Tree, a celebration of spring. The egg tree traces its roots to Germany. There, it is known as Ostereierbaum, or Easter egg trees. It is also popular in neighboring Poland, Austria, and Hungary. In the Guinness World Record race for the tree with the most eggs, a red oak in Rostock Zoo earned top prize for its nearly 80,000 egg display. The Easter egg tree tradition is centuries old, but the origins of the story have been lost over time. In the U.S., Easter trees are especially popular in the Pennsylvania Dutch region, but you can find pockets of the South that embrace the tradition as well.

If you would like to learn more about the farm Quiet Valley’s first event of the year is coming up in May. Farm Animal Frolic is on May 18, 19, 25 and 26 and it is a great chance for you to see all of our wonderful farm babies. They stay little for such a short time so come on out to Frolic and visit them while you can!

Thanks for checking in and don’t be a stranger. Aunt Eunice

April No Fooling & The Return of Galanthus Flowers

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 21:18:00 +0000

Happy April Folks,

Aunt Eunice here. I came into work on Monday and was prepared for jokes and pranks to crop up throughout the day. Farmer Milt is especially known for playing a good prank! After all, it was April Fool’s Day!! I waited on tenterhooks for the first joke to spring up determined to see it coming. As the day progressed and nothing happened, I became more and more nervous. Much to my surprise, when the end of the day came and it was time to go home and no pranks took place, I actually felt disappointed. What happened to everyone’s playful, mischievous side?! A well thought-out, harmless joke can be a great laugh for everyone as long as you are a good sport about it. It made me think about how the tradition of this day got started. Click on the link and see what History.com says about April Fools’ Day.

When I came up Quiet Valley Road this morning it was a bit dreary, wet and cold, just as the weatherman predicted. Lining the right side of the road though are a number of clumps of Snowdrops flowers also known as Galanthus. How lovely they are and certainly brightened my outlook. They are one of the earliest spring flowers in our area and as their name suggests, these flowers may not even wait for the snow to melt before emerging from their sleep. Instead, they push right up through the snow, an enchanting sight for a winter-weary soul. They seem to be a bit late in blooming this year. Better late than never.

April is off to a good start and here at the farm we are scurrying to prepare for Spring Field Trips which begin on the 15th. It’s never very quiet at Quiet Valley and we are almost always as busy as beavers.

That’s all for now, but I’ll be in touch again soon. Thanks for checking in. Aunt Eunice

Spring in Full Swing, Upcoming Farm Animal Frolic

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 20:34:00 +0000

Good Day Folks,

Aunt Eunice here. By the end of the day, spring will officially have sprung though it is a bit nippy at Quiet Valley. March 20, 2019 marks the spring equinox, the first official day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This day is unique in that the length of day and night are close to equal, NASA explains. Spring equinox doesn’t always fall on March 20, but it still marks a brand new season.

According to CBS News, Equinox means “equal night” in Latin. And on the autumnal and spring equinox there are equal parts day and night. The Earth’s orbit puts it in just the right place so that it’s lined up with the sun. On the equinox, which happens twice a year, both hemispheres receive the same amount of daylight. While the spring equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox is occurring in the Southern Hemisphere.

The spring equinox could occur on March 19, 20 or 21, depending on the year. Six months later, the autumnal equinox will occur.

A final winter activity, Maple Sugaring Day, took place on the farm this past Saturday and we had a nice crowd that came out to learn how to make maple syrup from tapping the tree to the finished product. Aunt Eunice was there helping though sometimes it seemed I was mostly helping myself to those wonderful pancakes and syrup! It was a nice sunny day, a bit cool when the wind would blow, but it was good to be outside.

April is almost here so May can’t be far behind. Farm Animal Frolic is Quiet Valley’s first major event of the year always taking place Memorial weekend and the weekend before. It’s my job to organize it and I have already started contacting volunteers. I am also planning the various activities that will take place. Lots of great things will be happening besides meeting our adorable baby animals.

New to Frolic this year is the U.S. Detachment of Engineers Civil War reenactors who will be encamped on the farm from Saturday May 18 to Sunday May 19. They will be happy to explain about their group and the map making they do. Also new this year is the PA WoodMobile coming on Saturday May 25 to show us what trees grow in our state and what can be done with them.

On Saturday May 18 the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will be coming again and bringing some local wildlife out with two presentations, one at 12:30 and one at 2:00. On Saturday May 25 Margaret Quinn will shear our sheep with manual shears, a very interesting demonstration. The spinners and weavers will also be in attendance doing a sheep to shawl demonstration. Wool freshly sheared from a sheep will be spun and then woven the same day into a shawl. The shawl will be raffled off at our Christmas event in December.

Now that spring has sprung it won’t be long until we are open to the public. I invite you to come out to our wonderful farm museum and see what we do here. I would love to meet you.

Thanks for checking in and hope to see you soon. Aunt Eunice

Spring is In the Air: Cleanup & Cultivating the Garden

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 06:30:00 +0000

Aunt Eunice is here to say, we’ll be having a Maple Sugaring Day! That sounds like the beginning of a poem. Saturday March 16 if all goes well and the weather forecast holds true we will be gathering at the sugar shack. Buttermilk pancakes, potatoes roasted in the coals and eggs boiled in the maple sap. Sounds yummy and I should know. I’ve eaten my fair share of those pancakes with that delectable maple syrup on them. I hope to see a good number of folks come out. It usually runs between the hours of 9:00am and 2:00pm.

After Maple Sugaring next on the agenda is Spring Clean Up Day down on the farm on April 6th, weather allowing. Dare I say the weather is warming up?! I think Winter is losing its grip and Spring is just about ready to pop out at us. The tops of bloodroot, daffodils and crocuses are starting to poke up through last year’s leaves and mulch. Shortly we will prepare the kitchen garden for the many things we plant in it, like peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes and carrots. It’s so good to be outdoors digging in the earth and enjoying the fresh air. These nice crisp, cool mornings wake you up so you’re able to appreciate the warmer temperatures of the afternoons as well as the lovely sunshine. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to have warm sunlight falling across your shoulders as you cultivate the garden and how nice it is to lift your face to the sun and savor that gentle heat. I hope all of you have been able to spend some time this week in the sun. Of course now-a-days they would say, don’t forget the sunscreen, but in the old days of Quiet Valley a nice rye straw hat on your head and a kerchief around your neck would do the same thing for you.

What a wonderful time of year with such a great feeling of anticipation. My advice is to get out and enjoy a few minutes of sun on these nice days and don’t forget the sunscreen, or rye straw hat!

Thanks for checking in and hope to see you soon.

Aunt Eunice