A little maple humor - do people think before they speak?

[Goggleeye]

Last summer at a local farmer's market, I was asked by a fairly intelligent looking, middle aged man "So, exactly how do you get the bees to just pollinate the maple trees?" I almost laughed out loud thinking he was being sarcastic, until the look on his face told me he was as serious as a heart-attack. I swallowed my laugh and politely explained the process.

Now I do realize not many folks in SE MO make syrup, and we were set up right next to the local honey guy, but . . . Wow. How disconnected we have become as a society from our agrarian roots.

[DonMcJr]

As a Beekeeper too...That was funny!

[Goggleeye]

Guess I should have explained to him the tedious process of training bees to recognize maple leaves!

[Springfield Acer]

It's a lot like how deer know to cross where the deer crossing signs are. Why do the highway people put them in such stoopit places?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I thought those were signs to look for dancing deer

[backyard sugaring]

Last summer I was leaving a soccer field with my son. This woman reach up on a pine tree put her finger on the pine pitch put it in her son's mouth and said this is where maple syrup comes from. My son and I have never laughed so hard. The poor kid will never eat "maple syrup" again. Good luck this year. Lee

[Maplebrook]

I was explaining to a visitor how the sap started and stopped each day depending on the freeze-up the previous night. I was saying how it started to run around lunch time as the sun warmed the trees. This was around daylight savings change weekend. I commented that when the time changes it will mess up our collecting schedule as the trees don't start to run until an hour later each day. The person thought that the trees knew it was time change weekend and adjusted their flow accordingly.

Here's another: I have collected "beaver chews" - short pieces of hardwood the beavers skin and cut to short lengths - from the brook near here. I use them in the camp for angle braces on the corners of the walls. A visitor once asked:"how do you get the beaver to cut them that length?" I replied that I cut the branch, stuck a post-it note on it with my desired measurement, and dropped it off at the lodge and picked it up a few days later. Thinking she would see right through this, she didn't and asked: "What about this one that is half cut off?" (one of the braces is cut partially through by the beaver) to which I replied "that spot is where I stuck the note. The beaver didn't read carefully and thought it said "cut here.""

[Pweideman]

Fabulous storys.

I make organic body care products. Soaps, lotions etc. A woman was shopping my booth for a friend. She asked about the ingredients I use to make my soaps. When I mentioned I add shea butter as a moisturizer she said, "oh, my friend can't have dairy."

[sg5054]

Guess I should have explained to him the tedious process of training bees to recognize maple leaves!

If you can do that, then you should be able to herd cats....

[Pweideman]

I am asked all the time if we need a rooster to get eggs.