it's spring--or it feels like spring--and it has me thinking about trees, and the life of trees. i watch the tiny tips of branches for signs of leaf buds, and i watch the recently returned robins hop about the branches and sing happily. there is a lot of sparrow activity in and on and around the new birdhouse atop our chopped down magnolia tree, and there is serious and dedicated new magnolia tree growth coming up beside it. with all this life and these warm days, we got to thinking about one of our favorite things: maple syrup. warm days and cold nights in early spring make sap flow, and we have warm days, cold nights, and a maple tree. yesterday, we drilled a hole into our tree and wedged a spile into the hole with a slight downward angle. we could hardly work quickly enough to get the collection jar in place before the sap started drip drip dripping down and into it. it's been 24 hours, and we have collected 2 quarts of sap already from this one maple tree. this maple tree gives us summer shade on the driveway, a sturdy place to hang a tire swing, a little niche for the cats to sit in, and now--maple syrup. or at least the hope of maple syrup.
and, as with all things, the same day we started using the maple tree, we lost an ash tree. the emerald ash borer has arrived in madison, and the city is taking proactive steps. our ash tree right in front of the house was already pretty sick, so down it came.
and the final death blow...
but over in the park, there will always be climbing trees.
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