Erin Go Bragh

Winter is not ready to leave us yet.  I was not expecting much, as the last few big coastal storms that were predicted to bury us, fell flat with only a few inches each time.  The jury is still out on this one.  We had about 4 inches overnight, but it has been snowing most of the day, so...maybe.

My sister Barbara, who would have loved to see some real snow (as she is currently in Durham, NC where snow is rare), but, alas, she left this morning after a short snowy ride to the airport.

The neighbors-we-don't-want-to-ever-lose came over later in the morning to shovel our porch and walkway.  Jon and Wolfie, who had the day off from school (so I guess it really will keep snowing) are a great team and like to do outdoor chores together.  Thank you!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Barbara and I joined our brother Rob and Sarah for dinner and an Irish music evening on Saturday.  We ate at Ri` Ra on Church Street where they were out of Irish Stew!  Oh, well, they had Guinness stout and the food was fine.

I decided on Irish breakfast: eggs, toast a rasher and three kinds of sausage. No wonder I look like I do!

Extra aerobics this week, I guess.

Next we went over to Burlington City Arts for the Irish Music Showcase, part of the week long Burlington Irish Heritage Festival.  As you probably know, my son Anthony is an Uilleann piper.  He's pretty booked up around St. Patrick's Day and we don't always get to see (or hear) him in the flesh, so this event was a treat.

The musicians comingled pretty fluidly for various sets.  Pictured with Anthony here are Ruarri Serpa, fiddle and Jim Curtin, flute.  Wow - pipes, flutes, whistles, fiddles, harps and lots of step dancing made for a lively evening.

Anthony rushed back to New Hampshire later for more musical events on Sunday but it was wonderful to connect briefly!

Plus, it seems the leprechauns came to my grandchildren's house Sunday night and played some very naughty tricks!

Sugar on Snow

We finally got a light coating of snow and it was actually cold on Saturday, so my sister and I thought a trip to a sugar house was in order.  Barbara is visiting for a few days so we have been relaxing, visiting relatives, etc.  We picked up Anthony and Lucy for a day of fun.

Our first stop was the ECHO Center in Downtown Burlington.  Barbara began her science career as a biologist and it was her first rip to ECHO.  This place is a favorite with A & L so I have a family pass and we go there a lot.

Lucy likes the eel best, but there are enough slimy fauna to make every trip interesting.  The huge snapping turtle was a pretty big draw on this trip, along with information about the spectacular wreck of the canal boat General Butler on the Burlington breakwater in a winter storm in 1886.

Next we drove to Palmer's Sugar House in Shelburne.

Our family moved to Vermont when I was 12 and Barbara was 11.  Up to that point we had never experienced real maple syrup, as we were Log Cabin brand kids.  Real maple syrup takes some getting used to, but once you are hooked nothing else will do.

We went on lots of family trips to explore VT and one favorite was the University of Vermont Agricultural building, very near our house where we first had sugar on snow.

Perhaps you are "from away", so I will explain.   When you think of "maple syrup", what comes to mind?  Forget that Bob Newhart show where Larry, Darryl and Darryl sported the worst New England accents EVER, but, be honest, you think of Vermont, right?  And you should as tiny Vermont is the largest maple syrup producer in the U.S., making 5.5% of syrup world wide.

So, they tap the trees and put the sap into a big evaporator, fire it up with lots of wood and boil away.  It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.  The finest grade A fancy is the benchmark, but our family prefers grade B dark amber, a stronger flavor.

Anyway, the weather was a little to cold for sugaring as it needs to get above freezing during the day and yesterday didn't quite get there.  But there was plenty of sap in the boiler and when it reached the "soft ball" stage (candy makers, you know what this is) the Palmers helpers poured it onto shaved ice (not enough snow on the ground, alas) and it hardened into sweet, sticky goodness.  Sugar on snow is served with a plain doughnut and a sour pickle.  Yum, yum!  John Holland of Williston was on hand to play old time music and people drifted in and out all day.  You can only get sugar on snow in a sugar house in the spring, after the deep freeze and before it gets too warm, maybe four weekends a year, more if we are lucky.  We left with a big bag of maple cotton candy.