Dreaming Of Maple Syrup...Part II

...and is there anything better on pancakes than real maple syrup? I like to put it on biscuits too. There I go again, talking about food when I'm supposed to be on a diet. Maple syrup is good on waffles too. You know, growing up we never had waffles, it was always hotcakes cooked on the griddle. Now, I've got like three or four waffle irons and they all have about an inch of dirt on them, I might have used each of them once or twice. It seems that there is a lot more to making maple syrup than just making a hole, sticking a bucket under it and watching the sap drip. You can visit my friend Eric's site here and check out the process for yourself. I spent several days lurking around his website trying to figure out how to acquire a jug or two of this syrup that had started haunting me day and night. I was daydreaming during the day of foot high stacks of steaming hotcakes, oozing with fresh butter and drowning in maple syrup. At night, for two nights straight, I dreamt that I was being chased by giant waffles that wanted to be covered with maple syrup and eaten. (I know, weird.) Now, I'm not sure if Eric ever visited the house on Cherry Fork Road, but I know his big sister did, because she and my sister (Big Red) were in the same grade and used to run around together. I remember Sister had a slumber party once and they were talking about boys or something and I got kicked out of the room for being a pest. On Eric's site he mentioned that the syrup was available at local stores throughout the area and from him directly. Well, the MA Fat Woman ain't from around those parts no more and you know I don't like to go north above the Sweet tea line. (Which is Kentucky for you that don't know.) So, I did the next best thing, I asked if he shipped. "Not a problem," he said, and that's how I became the brand new owner of my own jug of maple syrup, made in Ohio, not New England. Who knew? If you would like to get your own totally cute mini jug of maple syrup you can visit the links above or email him at newmanmaple@gmail.com.

Dreaming Of Maple Syrup...Part I

Dreams have a way of reconnecting us to things long forgotten. Perhaps, it's a group of kids playing that reminds us of a long, lost friend from Summer Camp in 1975, or a bite of a hamburger that can trigger memories of the local greasy spoon that served the best pizza burgers in town. Me? I've been dreaming of maple syrup. Growing up on the farm on Cherry Fork Road we lived in a big, red brick house, had an outbuilding and a beautifully crafted hand pegged barn that had a stable, a corn crib, a stripping room (for tobacco), a hay mound and a petrified snake that grinned at me anytime I worked up the nerve to look at it. We had a really big yard and a line of trees that ran along the side of the house. All of the trees except one were Catawba trees and the tree that stood towering over the house was a Sugar Maple. For some reason, I wasn't allowed to climb this tree. The bottom branches were way over my head and there was no good way to shimmy up it because of how large the trunk was; although, it did have a really good place for sitting. It also could have been that the only time I can remember someone climbing it, he fell and broke his arm (sorry, John John). Scared us all half to death and I think I cried more than he did, he landed really hard. I spent many days nestled in the crook of the big maple, mainly avoiding summer chores, chewing on a weed and wondering if it was my turn to go play at the neighbor's house or if they were coming down to mine. I do remember one year trying to hammer a stick into the tree seeing if it would produce any sap. I don't know how I knew that, I guess you learn things from reading, observing, or maybe, I paid attention in class the day we talked about New England, which is where I thought all maple syrup came from. Recently, I've discovered that this isn't necessarily the case. Like many of you, I have joined the social networking sites and have reconnected with many old friends and acquaintances. And yes, there are some that I have difficulty in remembering. I was drawn to one such old friend last summer by the photos that he had posted about his garden and a mention of making maple syrup this upcoming winter...

How You Doin?...Week III

We're three weeks into the New Year and in my best Joey Tribbiani voice I ask, "How you doin"? Uhhh, not so good. You'll notice that some of the items didn't make the list this week. Are you laughing at least once a day? Are you clipping coupons to help you save money? Are you drinking fluids to keep hydrated? Are you getting off the couch any? I did accomplish the above resolutions this week. I'm back on track now, but I gotta tell you, the jelly donut that I just had to have, it tasted really good. *Sigh MA Fat Woman

Malfuction Junction

I've started paying closer attention to my expenses lately and that included taking a closer look at my communication services. It seems that I have been paying 10 cents a minute for long distance on my home home and $34.95 a month for my DSL 3 mbs internet service. Both, I thought were a pretty good deal until I started reading some of the junk mail that my phone company keeps sending me. Harrumph! Basically, I can now get free long distance and twice the speed for my connection at half the price. Sounds like a great deal, right? So, I switched. Well, guess where I am now? I'm at the library because for the last two weeks my internet connection hasn't worked properly, I'm still paying for long distance and I still don't have caller id. I would call the phone company and complain but the phone line doesn't seem to be working either and I don't know the number anyway. I can't look it up online and I don't have a phonebook because as a cost cutting measure you don't automatically receive phone books, you have to request them. Nice. If it doesn't get resolved soon, I'm gonna have to go over to my crazy neighbor's house, Merlethem Shatz, and use her phone, which is kind of like having all your teeth pulled: the best part about the whole visit is when you get to leave. Keep your fingers crossed!

Introducing The New Cat

A few weeks before Thanksgiving I was awakened one morning by a squalling cat outside my window. I rolled over and put a pillow over my head trying to drown out the noise, but it didn't work. I opened the door to find a large, fowl smelling creature sitting on my porch. Over the next few days I tried everything in my power to get rid of this cat. I tried to shoo him off, I scared him away with the broom and I called all of the vets' offices. I called Animal Control (they didn't call me back) and I drove around checking for "lost cat" signs and I put an ad in the paper. I was convinced that he belonged to an old lady across the road and tried to give him back and that started a chain of events, phone calls and dealings with some of the nuttiest people that I'd ever run into, all to no avail. Nobody wanted and didn't have the capacity to take the cat. If you look at the picture you can easily see why I decided to name this cat Ralph, as in Ralph Malph (Mouth), because he wouldn't shut up. I didn't want another cat and neither did the cat I already have. We're pretty old and set in our ways. Evidently, at one time, somebody had loved Ralph. He was super friendly, had been neutered and followed me around like he never intended to let me out of his sight (which he hasn't). Two things come to mind, and they are that his owner died or his family lost their home for some reason or another and couldn't keep him. As I had just learned, there are no other options in my county for stray cats. It doesn't matter really, I now belong to him and he belongs with me.

How You Doin?...Week II

We're two weeks into the New Year and in my best Joey Tribbiani voice I ask "How you doin"? I thought I'd start a weekly feature here at Reflections that would encourage you to stick with it. I think I'm doing it more for myself, actually. If I write it down each week, I can hold myself accountable. But, please, feel free to play along at home. Some items might be changed according to what is going on in the world. Like this week I'm asking this: Are you doing anything to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti? Are you keeping your resolutions? Are you laughing at least once a day? Are you staying positive? Are you finding happiness and contentment in your everyday activities? Are you eating more fiber? Are you letting the little things go? Are you being less judgemental? Are you clipping coupons to help you save money? Are you saying NO when they ask you if you want to supersize it? Are you drinking fluids to keep hydrated? Are you getting off the couch any? These are some of the things that I'm working on. Hope you will too! If you have anything to add to the list, please do so. MA Fat Woman

LeeAnn, You're The Caption This Winner!

We had several good entries this time around, but LeeAnn from When Life Gives You Scraps, Make A Quilt had the winning entry with "There IS a Jack Frost, but ya got the wrong guy here"! Congratulations! You are the topic of the day. I did some digging about LeeAnn and found that she is a relative newbie to the blogging community and recently turned 39 for tenth or so time. She is a fellow Buckeye, which in itself, is outstanding and resides in the fine city of Columbus, Ohio. Go Bucks! LeeAnn has the hots for all things cats, quilts, and jewelry making. Her resolution was to complete one project a week, which I think is a great idea and I have incorporated (stolen) it into my yearly goals as well. LeeAnn was a lurker here at Reflections and I'm glad 'ol Jack coaxed her out of the shadows and into the limelight. You've probably got scraps of your own setting around, gathering dust. Check out her blog and maybe she'll help you get things completed, one project at a time.