November Journal

[royalmaple]

Gonna be a nice day today, highs in the upper 50's to 60. Great day for a birthday. I'll have to treat myself to just working on the sugar house today. :lol: :lol:

[HanginAround]

Happy Birthday.... nice here too, high 54, sunny so far, but calling for showers again. Did you guys get all that wind this past week??

[Brad W Wi]

Seems like you can put just about anything on here to get a conversation going so here goes. I'm down to 73 days till I retire all I have to do as far as major things on my new set up is put the stack in for the hood ( this weekend) and firebrick the evaporator ( next weekend) I'm looking foward to tapping during the day instead of taking care of things after work.

[royalmaple]

Taking a lunch break from laying out my walls for the sugarhouse.

Glad I waited till that storm passed, I think I would have to reframe it over again. That was something else.

Got the PT down, now laying out the walls and get the nail gun greased up.

[Russell Lampron]

Yes we got the strong winds on sunday and monday. Glad it stopped blowing for a while.

Happy birthday Matt, it was a nice day for you to work on you sugarhouse.

Brad, I've still got too many years left to start counting days. Happy retirement when it comes.

Russ

[oldemaple]

Brad, congatulations on your pending retirement. Just don't get the idea that you'll have a lot more time on your hands for sugaring. I retired 11 years ago and I have less time now than when I was working for a living. You'll be surprised how many more things you'll have to do after you retire. Don't worry, they're all good.

[royalmaple]

Got the two gable ends framed up today. Couldn't beat the weather today. Gonna rain tomorrow at least 1/2 day, then hope to be back out framing.

At 32, I still have to live it all over again to get close to retirement.
No hurry, it'll be here soon enough.

[Pete33Vt]

Very windy here last Sat., Sun. wind took down a building next town over and it pick up a 40x60 tool shed and turned it 90 degrees. That was on the next road over from me. No wind damage here though.
Well layed off for the winter. Seems good. But I have alot of work ahead of me. I finally got a deal worked out with a guy I used to help sugar. Its for the whole setup. Sugarhouse and all. It needs a major clean-up. Pans havn't been touched sense sugaring. So looks like next week I am going to boil somewater. I want to get that much done before it freezes. Wood shed is pretty much empty, but there is enough wood scattered around to just about fill it. And I have acces to all the wood I need. Just need time to cut it. And to think my wife was wondering what I was going to do all winter. :lol: :lol: :lol:
But I am takeing the next few weekends off. Youth weekend is this coming weekend. Then rifle next weekend. Can't wait. I have a ten year old thats ready to go.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy November.
Pete

[GregMVT]

Hope you had a great birthday Matt. Mine is tomorrow, will be 51 so I'm a little closer to retirement. The weather doesn't look to good for building the next few days, at least not around here. The chickens won't be happy about being locked inside for the weekend again!

Greg

[royalmaple]

Happy Birthday greg...

Got another wall framed yesterday, would have been interesting to have a video on me while this process was going on. Had a few awkward body positions to try and hold end studs and plates and nail gun and temp legs on the wall at once.

I got some help coming over today, we are going to finish one wall framing that I didn't get to, then stand square it up and hopefully start to see a roof line take shape. I'll take some pictures today and post so anyone interested can take a look. Should take shape today. I'm pretty excited.

[Russell Lampron]

Happy Birthday Greg, I will be 50 in January so I am right behind in the retirement line. Did you find and RO machine or still looking?

It should have been a good day to get things done on your building today Matt. It should be easier and go alittle faster with some help.

Russ

[royalmaple]

yup, sure was easier holding studs with another set of hands.

Take a look at the pics russ, just put a couple up of project so far.

[Russell Lampron]

Matt, it's looking good so far. I can't this weekend but maybe thanksgiving weekend I can come out for a day to give you a hand. I think I have a four day weekend that weekend.

Russ

[royalmaple]

Russ sounds good. I'll be here. Just give me a call.

Building should take some shape next week. Got caught up on work stuff, so now it is fun stuff.

If we get into too many boiling(or building) sodas you can spend the night.

Maybe we can go get my evaporator too...can't wait to bring her home.

[Russell Lampron]

Matt,

The correct term would be building sodas and I'm sure we could polish off a few.

Getting the evaporator sounds like it would be a fun addition to the day too. We would have to get some building done first though because we would want to play with the evaporator all day if we got it in the morning.

Russ

[GregMVT]

Thanks Russ, was a good birthday. As far as the RO I've decided to hold off on that. I'd like to find someone close that has one so I can check out how it runs and how it's cleaned before I make a final decision. I have increased the size of the smokestack from 6" to 7" and hopefully this will cut down on my boiling time a little.

Greg

[Russell Lampron]

Greg,

My evaporator has an 8" stack, If you haven't purchased the 7" stack yet you may want go larger.

Russ

[mountainvan]

Just got back from Ohio today. My dad made it through the surgery and is going home tomorrow. Tough year for us, me with cancer and him with heart surgery. Bright note of my trip was finally meeting someone in person that is part of the maple t.. Went to tyrods saphouse and helped him with his evaporator. He has the most beautiful stone chimney on his saphouse. Looks like something the early pioneers would have made. All native limestone I believe. Have to go out in the woods tomorrow and see how much damage I have from the big winds last sunday. Thursday I'm going fishing!!

[royalmaple]

Van-

Glad to hear everything went well. :lol:

[Russell Lampron]

Van,

Glad to hear that your father is doing well. Have fun fishing.

Russ

[royalmaple]

Went out back of the barn today and tested some sap. Yes, November sap. I just couldn't fight the disease any longer. Temps have been on the mark last few days, so I did it. I tapped a small red maple for a test and sure enough past few days it was dripping.

Had enough to test sugar content, It was right at 1%. It was a small tree and didn't expect too much out of it, but neat to try. Got about 1 quart of sap in the last two days.

I'd say the tree was about 5 inches in diameter.

[royalmaple]

Got the roof framed today and put up some collar ties. Now just need to get some boards nailed down. The sugar house is starting to take shape now.

[mapleman3]

Matt, be careful though, I believe if you get too much of that fall sap that it really attracts the "Maple Bug"
here is a link to ifo on it!
http://www.desjardinsmaple.com/maple_bug.htm

good luck with it :lol:

We aren't doing much maple yet although I have a vendor fair to do next weekend so I think this sundy we will be making candy and bottling up some more syrup, Saturday we are doing another 10+ mile hike along the M&M trail, We are working with our son on his Hiking merit badge for boy scouts, we are also looking at a 4day 60 mile appalacian trail hike in Ma. after sugaring in the spring,

[NH Maplemaker]

Jim, nice job on the maple bug :P Just about how it works around here :!: :!:

Maplemaker

[royalmaple]

Jim-

I liked that.

I think it is just too late, the damage has been done.

[mapleman3]

It happened to me I felt the need to let others know... kinda like maplers anonymous :wink: :lol: 8)

[Pete33Vt]

Mapleman, great picture, I have seen that thing around here also.
I also wanted to take a minute in this post to say THANK YOU to all the veterans out there and there families. Being a Marine, every year I thank as many people as I can for there service and for there families service and deviotion. So if your a verteran, or a family member of a veteran THANK YOU!!!
Had to get that in to make up my 100th post. Now I can go off this weekend and not worry about making 100.
Thanks again, and god bless!
Pete

[Russell Lampron]

Mapleman3,

Thats a pretty accurate description of the disease that I have got. It started with just a few taps and has grown as the years go on. I'm always looking at the trees figuring out how many taps I could get and have found that sugaring season never really ends it just goes thru different stages of preparedness for the next season.

There are 5 seasons to the year you know. It starts with sugaring season then spring, summer, fall and winter.

Russ

[Jim Brown]

Russ I have always heard that there were only two(2) seasons,Sugar season and getting ready for sugar season!

Jim

[Fred Henderson]

Jim, I have heard that also and this year it true.

[royalmaple]

Pretty busy day today on the sugar house.

Got the walls all plum, finished blocking the walls, and framing in the gable ends. Cut some rafter tails, and started nailing on some boards.

Full day of nail gunning tomorrow, hoping to get the walls all boarded up and then head for the roof. At least up to where the framing for the cupola will start.

Got a couple more pics uploaded.

[mountainvan]

Ran 1" line in the woods, replaces 3/4" that I moved further up the mountain for a couple hundred new taps. Put oil and gas in my new honda engine for my vacuum, started on the first pull!! Put on two single pulleys, belts, and hooked it up to my new/used vacuum pump. Sucked the air out of my saphouse in 30 seconds. Luckily my son was by the door and opened it up fast or we would have suffocated!! Can't wait to hook it up to my trees. Should be able to get all the sap out in a couple days.

[HanginAround]

Wow, that looks really awesome. Wish I was there, I'd be as excited to help as I would be if it were my own.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Fred,

It is amazing how it makes grown men act and I guess you could be considered a mature man at 60+ years of age! :wink: :lol: :lol:

[Sugarmaker]

Off to the sugar house to can the last couple gallons of 06 light syrup and then bottle 4 gallons of honey to restock the shelves. I still have a gallon of ultra light syrup for some candy or cream. And enough dark syrup for coated peanuts and Maple mustard. It has been a good year for sales and looks like we will sell out. With the specialty products like maple mustard we are consuming all the syrup we make and have not sold any bulk syrup for a couple of years.

[Father & Son]

Spent today at an auction. The local John Deere dealer closed Oct 1st and they were selling off the dealership to the walls. They didn't generate enough sales, so John Deere didn't renew their contract. This is the second dealer in the area to close this year. Maybe with those types of corporate policies it's time to take a look at that orange paint :!:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

They charge way too much for that green paint. It has to be mostly gold or at least they think it is. I bought my orange tractor and it had several more HP, twice the lift capacity and other better features over a comparable 790 JD for about the same price. New orange dealer just opened a huge dealership 15 minutes from sugarhouse, so now I have one 25 minutes on one side that I bought mine from and 15 minutes on the other side. JD makes tremendous tractors, but they are pricing themselves out of the market at least on smaller tractors and MF is too. :?

[Parker]

Spent the last few days working with Ray building wood racks for the sugarhouse,,they are 6 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet,,the tractor (even though its green) handels them niceley when loaded with wood,,,managed to make 5 of them out of an old truck body I had,,,(much like junkyard wars) seems to greatly speed the wood handeling process,,(we loaded each one as it rolled off the assembaly line),The sugarhouse is set up so once the stacked wood is used in the woodshed(5 rows deep) we will be able to drive through the woodshed and place a rack right in front of the evaporator,,,,,,cant wait to try it,,,

[Russell Lampron]

Nice pics Matt, can't wait to come over and help out.

Parker I've got to get over your way to check things out. It sounds like you are making quite a nice set up over there.

Russ

[HanginAround]

Sounds awesome Parker. By the way, what end of NH are you in? I am usually down there a couple times a yr, but won't be again till at least February.

[mapleman3]

Speaking of " Hangin around" I'm doing that today while making maple peanuts and watching football and Nascar !! nice to have a rainy day to get this stuff done !! :lol: 8)

[Parker]

I live right next to the Daniel Webster birthplace in Salisbury N.H.,,any and all are invited,,I enjoy meeting fellow traders,,,The birthplace is on most maps,,,,,

[HanginAround]

Thanks for the invite Parker. Usually in Feb I'm only up north for a week of snowmobiling at my cousin's camp. I often go to the south in June, as they live in Plaistow, and I have friends in Loudon too. I might try to arrange a couple camp visits some time when I go, I know there are several guys here not too far from my route. But that's down the road a ways, so we'll see what happens then.

One of my cousins in Plaistow is a hobbyist sugarmaker too, but I haven't had much luck getting him into the forum. He built a little camp this summer, and bought a used 2 x 6 arch, run a little pipeline and a milker for vacuum. I think he hopes for about 100 taps this yr... past years he had 50ish and boiled on propane.

[mountainvan]

Got my vacuum pump and motor on a base yesterday. Took apart the reclaimer on top and cleaned it real well with diesel and paper towels, burns real hot in the woodstove. Got the unit running well, when I put my hand on the intake I had a red mark and a hard time pulling it away. Cleaned up the saphouse today and sold syrup. Fell asleep watching football. Life is good.

[mapleman3]

I'm done for the day too, just finished up a bunch of Lollipops....No not eating them.. Making them :lol: :P

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Parker,

I love green tractors and my dad has a 55 hp 4x4 with bucket and my uncle has a 65 hp 4x4 with bucket and they are as good as it gets. Just wish the price was lower as I have been about disowned! 8O :lol: :lol:

[Russell Lampron]

Dispite the lousy weather I managed to go thru all of my woods and make repairs to my tubing so it won't freeze down this winter.

Hangin if you are going to come down to Loudon to visit your friends give me a shout. I would like to show you my operation.

Russ

[HanginAround]

Thanks Russ for the invite. Won't be till June I don't think though, would be great to go in season.

[brookledge]

I was able to wire brush the steel frame work on my arch and then taped off the stainless sheet metal and the painted with high temp flat black. Makes the arch look brand new again. Need some more rainy warm days to get the sugarhouse in order.
Keith

[maplehound]

I was working in my woods today. Repairing all the damaged tubing. I think the coons had a good time in there. Must have to replace 25% of the drops and some of the branch lines as well. One more day and I should have them all ready to go.

[The Sappy Steamer]

Went to put a dairy tank in the woods before the snow flies and was suprised at how much damage I had from trees falling.Lots of broken tree tops and blow downs.I was just up there a couple days earlier and everything was good. Luckily I didn't lose any sugars. We had some nasty winds, but they didn't seem THAT bad. I got the mainlines back up, but I've got lots of saw work this winter. My other place had alot of trees wiped out from our freak October snow storm that made things look like a hurricane went through. Leaves and heavy snow don't mix very well. I sure won't be short on fuel for next year. Too bad I don't have a wood fueled chainsaw. ( Hey......) :)

[HanginAround]

Too bad I don't have a wood fueled chainsaw. ( Hey......) :)

8O
LOL, good idea... you better puts wheels on it, you're gonna get tired of carrying around the firebox. :D

[The Sappy Steamer]

Thanks for the wheel suggestion, I'll include your name on the patent application :lol:

[ibby458]

We've sure had plenty of rainy days lately. We braved the drizzle this weekend and cut up a bunch of dry hardwood slabs and dead tamarack pole wood. Another few hours of work and we'll have the covered storage area full. It'll be a pile 30" wide by 8' tall by 52' long. Hopefully, it'll be enough. If not, we got about 10 cords of dry pole wood covered with a tarp behind the shed.

[mapleman3]

119.5 degrees and climbing.. whew what a warm day today.....OH no not the temp outside, thats the temp of the syrup in the canner :lol: 8) doing some canning tonight and enjoying the 70deg balmy weather, it's a slight drizzle out there but still , 70 deg in mid november? can't beat that as long as it's not like this in early Feb again... I really hope we have a real sugar season this year 4-5+ weeks and perfect sap weather all through.

Hoping to make some good cash this weekend at the fair, I have a nice round bottom stainless tank waiting for me at The Mapleguys... I'm sure Chris is waiting to get the space back 8O , hopefully make a trip up there soon 8)

[HanginAround]

Been wet and mild here for two weeks, high 50's to low 60's all week so far, and 66 forecast for tomorrow. I was looking last night on some weather sites and we're warmer than Texas. LOL Who said this was the Great White North? 8O

[Russell Lampron]

I am hoping that it will cool down soon. The ground needs to freeze and some snow cover would be nice to set things up for a good sugaring season. I would like to see one that lasts about 6 weeks with alot of good sap runs.

Russ

[Sugarmaker]

Had a dream last night that the sap was flowing from a cut maple branch in a full stream, like from a garden hose. Getting bad when you have to dream about making syrup too.
Sold syrup to the nature center and fruit stand Thursday. We may run out before Christmas. When its gone, its gone. Have to make some coated nuts for a order on Sunday.
Local sugar maker Paul Burgess is getting married tomorrow and Cheryl and I will be attending the reception in Conneautville. His new bride to be Lucinda can make syrup also so, sounds like another sugar makers dream come true.

Regards,
Chris

[mapleman3]

Chris get a move on on those nuts :wink: I'm finishing up walnuts tonight. I think I'll be all set soon, then the lil slide show for the laptop to run on the table while we're sellin we'll be doin fine !!

[super sappy]

Chris- I am glad to hear that I am not the only one to dream about maple.I ushally am scrambling for sap storage all of my buckets are overflowing etc. My family thinks that I am completely nuts. A maple out front has some sap leaking and every morning there is a grey squirrel at that spot and I think that he is licking the bark.He is not chewing the bark or anything but he is there every day and the dog chases him to the neighbors house.-SS

[mapleman3]

pretty good sales day at the vendor fair today, should have a bunch more customers at the sugarhouse this year, the peanuts and walnuts were flying out the door, sold a good amount of Candy, Syrup, Cream, Lollipops and Granulated also...all in all a good day, now to relax tonight and get ready to watch some racing tomorrow :lol:

[Sugarmaker]

Jim,
Sounds like you did well at the fair/event. Nice touch with the computer running too. I did get the peanuts done and made some HOT honey mustard, and made up some gift baskets too. :)
SS,
Some old stories about the squirrels being the first sugar makers! May have some truth to it now that I read you post.
Regards,
Chris

[mapleman3]

I think we will do Gift baskets too next time, we had some people ask for them.

[mountainvan]

Spent most of the day in the saphouse bottling and selling syrup. Quite a few hunters stop in on the way home. Started hanging 5/16 line and adding more taps on my big bush last week. Still need to make a little shelter for my vaccum pump in the woods and get a releaser, but that's for next year.

[ennismaple]

We got into the bush on the weekend to stretch some lines. We put a lot of the lines out to the head trees on our Thanksgiving (1st weekend in October). Now that deer hunting's over we can stretch them. Saturday's temperature wasn't bad but Sunday was a little cool. We managed to stretch about 1000 taps worth of lines, including the steepest and biggest hills. We've got some mainline repairs to do where some limbs have come down in the wind the past few months. Unfortunately, a number of our old trees have given up the ghost.

Every time I have to stretch the lines in that bush I wish all our lines were 4-seasons!

[mountainvan]

Happy Thanksgiving from Oliverea Schoolhouse Maple!!

[lharris1]

I had a little time off work to go to Brenneman’s Store to purchase supplies on Saturday. Split a little wood on Monday. We are getting a pretty good supply on hand. My brother and I checked out a new area we plan to tap that really looks like a good opportunity. There are 24 large hard maples on a hillside covering may be 3 acres. It looks like it may have been a pasture area 50 years ago with these trees and may be 4-5 oaks and a couple of hickory trees standing at that time. All the others are not more than a foot in diameter while these probably average at least 32” and they have a good canopy. There was a good freeze Monday night and warm into the 40’s so we checked sugar content with a refractometer. Four did check below 2.0 with one down to 1.0 Brix but the rest were really good, ranging from 2.0 to 3.4. The overall average including those below 2.0 was about 2.3. The down side is that we will have to haul the sap about 2 miles.

[royalmaple]

Got some new pics loaded from the long weekend. Sugar house is taking shape.

And with the help of Fellow Maple trader Russ Lampron, we got the new evaporator here and set up for the time being. I'm pretty impressed with the rig, can't wait to fire it up.

Now I am really just about driving off the road when I drive now. Why can't they put the trees in front of us when we drive, instead they have to be around the side of someones house etc.

[Parker]

Nice looking sugarhouse and evaporator!! How many taps are you going to try to have by this season?

[royalmaple]

I have about 350-400 taps in reds here at the house, which I am hoping to have on vacuum.

Then I have about 50 buckets already, but a few more stops that I have been eyeing up, so should be around 100-125 buckets when all is said and done.

Then I have permission to tap all I want in a 75 acre piece, but I have not walked it yet to see what is there for trees. And a buddy of mine told me his neighbor has 80 acres that I can take alook and tap anything in there if I want.

So I hope for around 500ish taps this year.

Problem is around me there are very few hills, so everything is pretty flat. Which sucks, cause there are areas that would be nice to tap but what can you do. Not to mention it seems most any sugars are just roadside, very few in the woods naturally. Pretty much only reds around me.

One thing I am toying with is if I want sugars, it is going to mean buckets and more time collecting. If I want tubing in the woods it will be on reds.

[Mike]

Has anyone heard from Maplecrest??? I need to ask him about the generator?????? Thanks

[Russell Lampron]

I went over to Buxton, ME to visit royalmaple and help him build his new sugarhouse this past friday and saturday. We got alot done, he only needs to put the gable trim and ridge cap on to finish the cupola roof and build and install the doors on the cupola and it will be finished.

The highlight of the weekend was going to pick up his new evaporator. Of course we had to put it together in his barn friday night to make sure all of the pieces were there. :D It is a nice looking rig which he should be able to make a lot of syrup with ending the frustrations he had with the rig he tried to boil with last year.

Russ

[backyardsugarer]

Split the last of my wood and built a shelf for a new 65 gallon gravity feed tank. Also bought a new Polaris Sportsman 4X4 to help me collect sap. I picked up several hundred taps this year and I want to be ready. Cleaned the pans one last time and painted my arch with rustoleum high heat paint to keep it from rusting, sure looks nice too. I cured that with a brief fire and cleaned up the bottom of my pans. I am all set to go now. Happy holidays all.

Chris

[Sugarmaker]

Matt,
Really nice looking sugarhouse. Many years of enjoyment ahead! Evaporator looks great too.
Chris

[HanginAround]

Matt,
Really nice looking sugarhouse. Many years of enjoyment ahead! Evaporator looks great too.
Chris

Yup! What he said... sound like Russ and Matt had fun playing at it.

[royalmaple]

Thanks guys, it is coming along nicely. Pretty proud of it.

Now just can't wait to get everything set and get some steam coming out of her.

Russ and I had a great time, at least he didn't fall off the roof.

live and learn, should have set up the roof brackets and a plank. I won't forget next time.

[maplehound]

I have alot that needs done before the season starts. The wood shed still needs some moore wood, The new preheater needs plumbed up and there is still several taps in the woods that need maintance. All this and my doctor told me today to go se a surgen for back surgery. :( I guess I have to consider not tapping this year. I am not even sure at this point if I can work at my usssual job of cutting meat. :cry:

[royalmaple]

Ron-

Hopefully you'll get some good news and tapping won't be off limits.

Good luck with it.

[mountainvan]

good luck ron, surgery sucks. ran more mainline today, the higher I go on the mountain the more maple trees there are!! been cutting and splitting wood for 2008 and messing around in the saphouse doing little projects.

[HanginAround]

That sounds bad maplehound. Sorry to hear. Hope things get better down the road.

[maplehound]

Thanks all. Even if I do get to tap My father will be out this year as he is having a 5 bypass sugery on Dec. 11'th :( After alot of Doctor visits today they did a heat catheder and after word gave him the bad news.
I gues this year just won't be our year.

[Pete33Vt]

Sorry to hear of all the bad news. My families thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope all goes well. Maybe with a little luck you will be able to do some tapping if not all.

Pete

[Russell Lampron]

Ron,

Sorry to hear about you and your dad. I hope everything works out well for both of you. Maybe if your back heals fast enough and you can get some help from friends and family you can still taps some trees even if it is on a smaller scale. Best of luck.

Russ

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Ron,

Maybe you can put off the back sugery until after season. Either way, good luck and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your dad.

[maplehound]

Brandon,
I am now laid up at home with hopes of returning to work next week. In the shape I am now in syrup season would be out. But I just got some good news. My doctor called and he st me up with an appointment with a surgen in Pitt. On Monday. I am hopefull that I can get the surgery over with and I can recover in time to tap. Even if it is a smaller amount of taps this year.
Ron

[Sugarmaker]

Ron,
Good luck with the back surgery. Hope you can join us for the 2007 season. Wishing your Dad well also!
Regards,
Chris

[Fred Henderson]

A few of my friends from around here have gone to Pitt. for joint replacements. Good luck and we will be prayering for you.

[maplehound]

Thanks for your prayers. I am still holdingout hope for the syrup season.

[brookledge]

Ron
Keep your spirits high and you'll have a goal to recover for the spring
Our thoughts are with you
Keith

[Ed K]

Prayers for you and your father. I had a ruptured disk operated on in 95, and recovery was fast. I crawled into the oper. room at 6am. At 2pm I could walk to the bathroom. Don't wait till after sugaring if you have a ruptured disk. The surgon said I was with in one week of never walking again. You will need to walk to build up the mussle's in your legs afterwards tho.
Ed

[White Barn Farm]

Good luck with the surgery. I had back surgery in 2001 and recovered great. I did exactly as the doctor said and was back to my full routine in two months. I am able to do anything I could do before. Hope you have the same good fortune. Prayers and peace to you and your dad.
Ed

[maplehound]

Ed,
Wow i didn't think they would have you up that fast. I also didn't think it could be that serious. My disc is badly bulged and I have three other slightly bulged and several floating fragments. The fragments are causing me alot of trouble.
How long where you in the hospital? I have never even spent one night in a hospital and don't look forward to it.
Ron

[mountainvan]

Got more 5/16 line today to hang in the woods next week. Also finally got a vacuum gauge and regulator. Hooked the gauge to my pump and got 15" at half throttle and 25" at full throttle. Just need the releaser.

[White Barn Farm]

I was in the hospital one night. I had a ruptured disc and had let it go longer than I should. I had started to get a "drop foot". My toes were starting to go numb and sleep wasn't an option any longer. I was walking our hill within the week after surgery and haven't stopped yet. I had some physical therapy prior to the surgery but none following. I was worried that a career change might have been in the works but I still do everything as before. I've laid blocks, stood walls, worked concrete and lifted trusses all without problems. I hope you are as fortunate. Again, I did just as the doctor said, and I think that made a huge difference. He also stressed to me to keep in shape. Splitting wood and carrying buckets does a great job :D Best of luck. Keep us posted.
Ed

[maplehound]

Thanks Ed
I have been fighting this back problem alll summer. Just 6 weeks ago I finished a sereis of epiderals. They did great till for a month then it wore off and OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't sit straight, laying down is totally out. and standing brings on a sharp pain down my leg. I hope I am as fortunate as you were.
Ron