My plan 2023 - 2024

[Swingpure]

I had a stroke 11 days ago, I am fine, mostly back to normal, but it does make me pause and look at the activities I do that require a lot of physical effort. I am new to strokes, never had one, I only knew one person who had one, so maybe in three months time I will have a different perspective on things.

I am thinking of drastically downsizing my sugar operation, just tapping the trees on my own property, selling my divided pan and float box and base stack and replacing the cinder block evaporator with a barrel evaporator. Besides reducing the workload, I still cannot get out of my mind, how low key my neighbour’s operation was and what their finite goals were.

I would just make syrup for my home use, and my kids and grandkids can enjoy it while they visit.

I will give it a few more weeks before I decide, but I am definitely on the page of just making it a small hobby.

My other major physical activity is all of the cutting down, hauling, splitting and stacking of firewood for home heating purposes. I am considering buying a heat pump, good to -30°C, that should reduce my home wood requirements by 80%.

[Pdiamond]

Gary, I certainly pray that you are on the mend from this. Did the Dr. say you needed to cut back on your physical activities like doing the syrup. I would think being active as being a good thing. Please let me know.

[maple flats]

On my 3x8 evaporator the firebox was 32" front to back and 25" wide inside the bricks at the grates. I cut my wood at 21" long, piled it in one criss crossed stack starting at about 6" in from the door. It boiled very well. After adding AOF/AUF I fueled it every 9 minutes, before the AOF/AUF I fueled every 7 minutes.

[Swingpure]

Gary, I certainly pray that you are on the mend from this. Did the Dr. say you needed to cut back on your physical activities like doing the syrup. I would think being active as being a good thing. Please let me know.

For the first month, I cannot cut my grass, for the next two months I can cut grass and do other things, but no prolonged really heavy work, after that I can do what ever I want. So from the Doctors perspective no issue doing the maple syrup.

This year I went from the 6 weeks of maple syrup where I carried and lifted every gallon over my head, to splitting and stacking over 400 cut logs, cutting down and hauling three other trees, to help building a 1000 sq ft deck, then I had the stroke. I do not know it as a fact, but I think overdoing it, combined with some risk factors, played a role in having the stroke.

It may be I have not fully recovered yet and I am still tired, and that up is why thinking of doing all of the work again is not appealing, or it just seems logical not to push myself too far. I will still make syrup and I will still cut down trees and haul and split them, but maybe not as much.

[Trends]

Wishing a full & speedy recovery for you Gary

[Z/MAN]

Prayers for a quick and speedy recovery Gary. Take it easy for a while and sort things out. I, for one have certainty missed your almost daily posts for the last 2 years or so. I was wondering where you were? You have an RO that you didn't get to try yet. Keep in mind that RO will cut your boiling time AND your wood needs in half at the least. You can keep the same setup but by tapping less trees and using the RO you can make it fun again. (In way less time than this past season.)

[aamyotte]

Hello Gary,
Sorry to hear of your setback. I hope you have a full recovery.
Form reading your posts I know you think everything through really well before making a decision so what you do in the future with your maple syrup operation will not be a knee-jerk move.
As far as the heat pump I have one at my house and it's been great on reducing my dependence on propane. The government has grants right now where you can get money back on the upgrade.

[berkshires]

I had a stroke 11 days ago, I am fine, mostly back to normal, but it does make me pause and look at the activities I do that require a lot of physical effort. I am new to strokes, never had one, I only knew one person who had one, so maybe in three months time I will have a different perspective on things.

I am thinking of drastically downsizing my sugar operation, just tapping the trees on my own property, selling my divided pan and float box and base stack and replacing the cinder block evaporator with a barrel evaporator. Besides reducing the workload, I still cannot get out of my mind, how low key my neighbour’s operation was and what their finite goals were.

I would just make syrup for my home use, and my kids and grandkids can enjoy it while they visit.

I will give it a few more weeks before I decide, but I am definitely on the page of just making it a small hobby.

My other major physical activity is all of the cutting down, hauling, splitting and stacking of firewood for home heating purposes. I am considering buying a heat pump, good to -30°C, that should reduce my home wood requirements by 80%.

Very sorry to hear of your stroke. Hope you have a full and a speedy recovery.

Gabe

[Swingpure]

Prayers for a quick and speedy recovery Gary. Take it easy for a while and sort things out. I, for one have certainty missed your almost daily posts for the last 2 years or so. I was wondering where you were? You have an RO that you didn't get to try yet. Keep in mind that RO will cut your boiling time AND your wood needs in half at the least. You can keep the same setup but by tapping less trees and using the RO you can make it fun again. (In way less time than this past season.)

Thanks, I haven’t been posting, because I was so busy doing all of my chores, I never had a chance to get back to my evaporator and start making the changes to reduce the firebox size. I was going to start posting once I started to make the changes.

[Swingpure]

Hello Gary,
Sorry to hear of your setback. I hope you have a full recovery.
Form reading your posts I know you think everything through really well before making a decision so what you do in the future with your maple syrup operation will not be a knee-jerk move.
As far as the heat pump I have one at my house and it's been great on reducing my dependence on propane. The government has grants right now where you can get money back on the upgrade.

If someone who knew me saw me now, they would not know anything happened. My legs are still weak, but it does not affect my walking gait.

I wanted to ask you how your new pan worked out and did you like it better than your old setup?