Vacation week! Well, four days of vacation and Veterans Day holiday on Friday.

The weather has been great for working in the woods splitting and stacking firewood for the 2012 syrup season. Partner Rick took responsibility for getting the wood down and cut to length and to the woodpile. My goal had been to have the woodpile replenished by the fourth of July. From my earlier posts everyone knows why that goal went unmet. As the summer and early fall unfolded, I simply didn't have the enthusiasm to tackle the task even when my schedule settled down. Taking on the splitting and stacking seemed to be a manageable task and a way of expressing appreciation for Rick taking responsibility for the other parts of the wood making process.

Partner Bill is expected to arrive tomorrow to spend a few days to continue the woodmaking and to participate in the annual meeting where we will settle accounts for the 2011 season and make plans for the 2012 season. The weather may turn sour for the next couple of days so we will adjust our activities as warranted. There are five full ranks of firewood and a start on the sixth, so we are in good stead. We try to have six ranks as we head into the fall and winter. Traditionally that has given us a two year's supply of wood for the evaporator and the cook stove. This past season we burnt up four ranks of wood, so we were looking at a short stack before the team effort to replenish the pile. We have also talked of expanding our operation from 175 taps to 200 taps; that also translates into a larger woodpile given the expected additional production.

In addition to making firewood, I took some time at the end of the day to sweep out the sugarhouse and tidy the place up. The place attracts considerable insect visitors during the summer. I hope they enjoy the accommodations before moving onto their final resting place. I unceremoniously sweep them out the door and off the stoop.

Before closing this post, I need to return to the subject of the weather. Any November day that is sunny with temperatures in the mid-40's needs to be relished and all the moreso, if one has outside work to do. I didn't even use the sugarhouse for lunch. Yesterday and today I sat on the tailgate of the truck and ate my peanut butter and jam sandwich. I removed a couple of layers--jacket and flannel shirt--and was very comfortable from a combination of physical activity and sunshine. If the weather turns sour, we will fire up the cook stove and have our annual meeting around the kitchen table. What more, the place is already tidied up.