Little Pioneer Man

We tapped our maple tree a few days ago and collected about four gallons of sap.

We spent all day (12 hours) boiling sap today for maple syrup. Sarah is little and quickly lost interest. She ended up mostly snacking and taking a nap on the swing.

Noah has always loved to work, but I was amazed that he worked as hard as any adult today, and with more stamina. He chopped and hauled firewood, poured sap, tended the fire, raked, picked up sticks, etc. 

It was chilly in the early morning when we started.

But by afternoon, he had shed most of his clothes.

I used to wonder why pure maple syrup costs so much, since it's just free from the tree, but after working non-stop all day, I have a new appreciation for it. It sure was delicious on our pancakes. 

 I finished the syrup in the kitchen, which made a lot of humidity, so we brought the big, heavy dehumidifier up from the basement. I was struggling with it by myself when Noah came along and carried one side of it. When we set it down, I looked over at him and thought, "When did my son become a man?!" I think it happened today, while he was working. He would have been a good pioneer boy. That thought started me thinking about how kids were more mature at a younger age 150 years ago. There was no time for foolishness, selfishness, TV, and video games. They worked hard just to help their families survive, and I'll bet they slept hard all night too, like my little man is right now.