We hunted for eggs inside as it was snowing and 25 degrees F outside. Everyone had a few eggs that were a real challenge.
"What do you mean, 'let you peel it?' "
ham with pineapple glaze, rolls, pickles and olives, scalloped potatoes, garden peas, onions, orange jello salad, 7 layer salad and bunny cake for dessert. MMMMMM.
On our way to and from the park we passed this roadside rest area with an ear of corn on it. I don't know if the midwest has more of these type things or if I'm paying more attention and noticing them? 
Because of the amount of water that evaporates the cooking is best done outside. The naturalist had been boiling this sap for about 4 hours before we got to watch it become syrup. Then he strained it and we tasted it. Yum!
To me the sap tasted like water. The childen thought it was slightly woody. Sap averages 2% sugar. It takes about 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. No wonder it is so expensive! 
Spile, drill and "sap bag". Buckets, of course still work and still are used. The bags have some advantages and some disadvantages. The transparency allows to sun to help preserve the sap, but allows chickadees to see the moths that sometimes gather in the bag. 
When I was young, growing up in the Northeast I remember seeing buckets on Maple trees. I read the "Little House" books and of course enjoyed maple syrup on my pancakes. One year, our youth group went on a mission trip to help clear the Sugar Bush in Iroquios Nation. While living in the South we enjoyed maple syrup and I read the "Little House" books to the boys. But, the climate did not allow for maple syrup making. Now, living in the upper Midwest(I think that is the name for the area of the country we live in) we are again in maple syrup territory. Our exchange student is very fond of maple syrup and pancakes. And I am reading the "Little House" series to the girls. So I did some research and sure enough March, and sometimes February and April are Maple Sugaring time in Minnesota. On Saturday we drove to Sibley State Park. We watched a naturalist show us how to tap a tree, tasted sap and then syrup. 
We got five each of three different laying hens, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Black Australorp, and Buff Orpington. We got 21 broilers, they are Cornish Cross'. The children wanted to name them. We are calling the layers ~ "Omlette" and the broilers ~ "Dinner". 
Big Brother's blue parakeet died this morning. It was a sad day. We tried to focus on the happy memories, when Tigger "drove" the RC truck, when the birds would raise their voices over mine while I read and how they loved blackberries. We'll miss you Tigger. 
After waking up to snow yesterday, and watching snow then snow and rain, then just rain fall most of the day, there was not much snow left on the ground when we went to bed. Imagine my surprise, (not really, the weatherman got it right again) when I woke up Tuesday morning. 
Little Sister and Mommy are well and can go back to gymnastics. Today they worked on handstands, and had an Easter Egg hunt. 
Last week we had temps in the 50's (degrees F), over the weekend the temp hovered around 35 degrees F. Monday morning this is the scene I awoke to. Now, I was prepared becasue the weatherman said to expect snow but still. . .
