The End is Near

[fitch270]

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Of winter, hopefully.

The Kid and I helped a friend run about 500ft of sap line through the woods this afternoon. This is the guy who gave the Kid his .222 and has loaned me a few loading manuals. The snow pack is about 30” deep up there and the line had to go back in a ways before being unrolled. He broke a trail earlier on snow shoes that we used to skid the line in on a tarp.

It’s supposed to hit 40* on Wednesday, he’s planning on tapping then but it probably won’t run until next weekend when the forecast is calling for more steady temps above freezing. I always look forward to Maple season, it means spring is just around the corner.

No robins yet, but a couple bluebirds are hanging out back where the sun is exposing some ground on the bank. Was a good day today.



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[PigHunter]

My God!!! I had no idea it was like that there. We're running highs in the 60's. It will be near 70 on Wednesday.

[dewman]

Ah, the good old days growing up in central Michigan. Maple syrup, maple sugar, maple candy. Our cousins tapped trees but didn't run a line - we hauled buckets hanging on the trees to a big vat heated with wood, which we also helped cut and haul. Hmm. Maybe THOSE old days weren't THAT good.😉 However if they would have gave me a rifle for helping I'd STILL be there doing it. Oh wait. Those woods are all gone now. A Canadian wind farm bought it all up, chopped everything down and put up windmills, with all the power going to Canada.

[fitch270]

Dewman, Late 80's to early 90's a group of my friends would help out one of the crews family operation. It wasn't commercial, just something they did just because. On a good run day whoever could show up would haul buckets in the afternoon then we'd hang out in the saphouse for the evening boil. Sometimes we'd boil eggs in the sap pan and occasionally hot dogs but almost always had something to eat because we'd miss dinner. Might have been a beer or two involved as well. Bunch of guys having fun while actually doing something productive. Great times.


These days you can't use the old style galvanized buckets for commercial purposes. The Kid informed me of that after joining FFA a couple years back. They have a real nice set up at school that raises a fair amount of money when it operates. They got shut down a week into it last March, wouldn't even let some commercial outfits take the sap that was already flowing into tanks. A few of the FFA kids came in and they pulled all the taps one weekend. Weren't allowed to set up this year.

[jhjimbo]

What is the green line?
See any animals doing the line?
Too early for sheds?
Every now and then I see the big pots at the flea market - copper I think.
7AM Mon it is 40deg. We should be back to seasonal temps. Hope for some rain, icicles on the roof could be a back up problem.

[FirstBubba]

Monday 2-15-2021
Hi 32°
Lo 15°
Sunday 2-21-2021
Hi 80°
Lo 43°

Better decide whether winter is over or not. Don't want to replant tomatoes... AGAIN!!!! LOL!

My maternal grandmother grew up in East Texas near Palestine. She used to tell of a freak frost in early June one year that killed all the local corn crops. Late 1800's, early 1900's.

What happened in Texas was one of those freaks of nature that just happen.
ERCOT was supposed to be The Answer to Texas electrical grid, balancing wind, solar and fossil energies to meet all needs.
But when the "defecation entered the ventilation" and wind and solar failed, it was too late to ramp up fossil fired plants to fill the gap.
Natural gas fields are operated with remote SCADA systems, so valves, pumps and other equipment are electronically controlled.
As wind and solar failed and fossil couldn't meet existing demand, those valves and pumps became inoperable due to the extreme cold.
The solar failed because of cloud cover and snow covering panels.
The wind generators failed because they had not been "winterized" to deal with sub zero temps.
So the dominoes began to fall.

It was yesterday before parts of East Texas had power restored.

[fitch270]

What is the green line?
See any animals doing the line?
Too early for sheds?
Every now and then I see the big pots at the flea market - copper I think.
7AM Mon it is 40deg. We should be back to seasonal temps. Hope for some rain, icicles on the roof could be a back up problem.

The green line is tubing for sap to run down to a holding tank. Buckets are going by the wayside.


No animals, nor tracks. That’s on a ridge top where the snow is deeper, most critters are moving down into lower areas. Dropping a couple hundred feet of elevation makes a big difference and can often be done in a half mile or so.

[jhjimbo]

The green line is tubing for sap to run down to a holding tank. Buckets are going by the wayside.


No animals, nor tracks. That’s on a ridge top where the snow is deeper, most critters are moving down into lower areas. Dropping a couple hundred feet of elevation makes a big difference and can often be done in a half mile or so.

It is 3:30 Tues AM and and it is 35deg so nice slow melt. We can get some real surprised as storms can come up the Ohio River Valley or down over Lake Huron and Lake Erie. double whammy. One Year we had a lot of 70deg days so I left my boat un covered for the night. This was in May. Next day I had a foot of snow.in it. Same thing in Wichita Falls, Texas in May, about a foot of the heavy wet snow - shut the City down for days.

[PigHunter]

The biggest snowfall occurred here in March of 1993... 13 inches.

The 14-day forecast calls for highs in the mid to upper 60's with a couple of days getting into the 70's.

[FirstBubba]

It is 3:30 Tues AM and and it is 35deg so nice slow melt. We can get some real surprised as storms can come up the Ohio River Valley or down over Lake Huron and Lake Erie. double whammy. One Year we had a lot of 70deg days so I left my boat un covered for the night. This was in May. Next day I had a foot of snow.in it. Same thing in Wichita Falls, Texas in May, about a foot of the heavy wet snow - shut the City down for days.

A 12" snowfall in May? ...in Wichita Falls, Tex?
Possible.
Shut the city down for days? ...in May? ...in Wichita Falls, Tex?
I doubt that seriously!

[jhjimbo]

A 12" snowfall in May? ...in Wichita Falls, Tex?
Possible.
Shut the city down for days? ...in May? ...in Wichita Falls, Tex?
I doubt that seriously!

You are an a hole, I was there. Get off my posts with your useless bull sheet.

[FirstBubba]

You are an a hole, I was there. Get off my posts with your useless bull sheet.

HA HA HA HA HA 😀!

I don't have to and you can't make me. LOL!

How does it feel to be a whiney 2 year old, jimmy boy?

Get off "MY" posts indeed!
It isn't YOUR posts jimmy boy!
Once you post it here, it belongs to Outdoor Life! LMBO!

[FirstBubba]

jhjumbo stupidly wrote:

"... You are an a hole, I was there. Get off my posts with your useless bull sheet. ..."

This isn't even YOUR thread, dork!. fitch270 started it!
You are pathetic, sir.

[fitch270]

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[FirstBubba]

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My apologies fitch270.

I'm willing to work it out but he refuses.
I try not to engage on OL, but I'm not going to just sit back and take because he's got his panties in a wad either.