...when you almost drive into the ditch as you check out other people's setups and automatically count how many taps they have per tree.
And when you debate whether you should say something or not to the person porcupining a huge old maple, just 'cause it's what their grandpappy or great-great grandpappy did. I'm all for respecting tradition, but some traditions are seriously outdated and often hazardous too.
For a non-maple example...I don't know anyone who now worms their workhorses using a beer bottle filled with turpentine and milk, but that's what they used to do, as recently as the 1940s and 50s!
Been tapping since 2008.
2018 - 17 taps/7 trees...819l sap, approx 28l syrup
2019 - 18 taps/8 trees...585l sap, 28l syrup...21:1 ratio
2020 - 18 taps/8 trees...890.04l sap...gave away about 170l, 30l snafu'd....23l total for me from approx 690l
2021 - 18 taps/8 trees...395l sap, 12 l syrup
2022 - 18 taps/8 trees....7 sugars 1 red due to #2 having surgery so had the season off....582l sap, 18.5l syrup
2023 - 18 taps/8 trees...all sugars again. 807l sap, so far approx 14l syrup