Hop Kiln Road 2015

[Russell Lampron]

You don't think we'll get a run until next week! We're getting one now and the weather looks great for the next 10 days. You're slacking Bruce.

[Amber Gold]

Not getting a run till next week...the words of the untapped.

[Hop Kiln Road]

Boys, dust off the dictionary. Run: when sap flows more than a gallon per tap per day for more than 3 sequential days. Also see, Squirt: Less than a run, and, Peak Flow: three or more day surge of uncontrollable sap flow often resulting in operator fatigue and damage to local infrastructure. Sap pumps all fired up. Membranes loaded. Evaporator idling. 400+ gal from 500+ taps over two days, but no run, yet. Oh, and be sure and test your sugar!

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for clarifying. I never knew there was a difference. You almost got enough to boil before things slow down.

[Hop Kiln Road]

About .75 gpt from the first squirt. Huge sugar range from 1.6 to 2.6 and exactly correlated to the length of orchard fertilization, which may not mean anything. Had a busted RO fitting right off the bat but finally rinsed the membranes and reduced the remainder to 80 gallons of 8%. Sweeten tomorrow if it gets above freezing. Looks like a late, erratic start.

[Hop Kiln Road]

I got a hen that lays 6 or 7 eggs every day so I thought I better upgrade her facility. I mean, that is better egg production than even that Kim Kadashian chick and check out her pad! Not sure what planet she's on but Channel 286 for you folks who got Deep Space TV. Now M insisted I get a building permit since a citizen can't own an unlicensed hammer these days. I walk into the Town Hall with my hammer hanging on my belt, open carry, and tell the nice young deputy chief inspector I want to build a new chicken coop and he chuckles and says I need a set of stamped plans. Fortunately I had brought along all my doodles, didn't think to bring any stamps, so I whip 'em out and his amusement wanes when I tell him about my Kadashian hen and he keeps glancing at my hammer, fidgeting and reciting codes, and pontificating the social benefits of chicken zone setbacks, which, I guess, keep chickens from inciting neighbors, like that Putin guy. Well by the time I got the gosh darn permit, I had cashed up 6 inspections for footing depth, reinforced 3000 lb concrete, electric, plumbing, a 72 lb snow load and a 91 MPH wind speed! Cripes, okay, so a 91 MPH breeze might ruffle some feathers, but a thousand eggs just to get the chickens out from under the evaporator?

[Russell Lampron]

The crap you've got to go through to build something these days is something else ain't it. You got a permit for that swing press (hammer) Bruce?

[Hop Kiln Road]

Pans sweetened and made a little syrup. Trees are now more eager than us and pushing ice down the lines and out the spouts. Going to let loose and start gushing Monday. Forecast looks good for 30 days, if it holds. Yup, heck with the permit, can't never find a hammer when you need it neither. A lot of guys keep a couple hammers stashed about cause they're a hassle to pack around all the time. For awhile I kept it on the bedroom closet shelf. But then M noticed all the cleat mud and found it and said I couldn't keep it there. She said lock it in a cabinet then I would always know where it was but the key was such a hassle so I still carry it around.

[Russell Lampron]

I'm one of those guys that has several stashed in key locations. I have one in my basement toolbox, one in my maple toolbox and one in my dump truck. I also have others that in specific spots but can be found when needed if I look hard enough. You might say that I'm a hammer hoarder.

[Greyfox]

When hammers are outlawed,..... only Russ will have hammers. Better make sure they all have proper, unaltered serial numbers. DHS may be watching the Trader....