The sap is running and the sugar shacks are sending up plumes of steam.



My sugarman, Max, now in his eighties, makes the best syrup I've ever had, light and thick. I hope he and his wife have made it through the winter and are sugaring again this year.

I've missed the buttermilk waffles in particular this winter but Jim's been making a modest effort to lose weight so I've settled for maple syrup on my oatmeal. Maybe we'll have sourdough buckwheat cakes to commemorate the new crop of syrup...