Day 86 {sugar shack}

Today was a fantastic day. We were only at work until lunchtime and then we left for an afternoon planned by our fabulous social committee. We went out for lunch and then to a maple sugar shack for the afternoon. I was on inspiration overload, I was dying to take pictures of inanimate objects and there were kids with runny noses that needed their noses wiped and they were not my own.

My rubber boots have sat in our garage since we moved into our house five years ago. It would have been worth the price of admission to see me kicking them around the garage this morning to make sure a mouse hadn't died in them or wouldn't jump out and attack me in the car on the way to work. It was my lucky day as neither of those things happened.



This is my work family. :) As you all know, the you-know-what flows downhill. We are the end of the line for a lot of the projects that pass through our agency. So the second we saw the outhouse upon getting out of the car we made a beeline for it to get a group picture as we thought it was very fitting lol.



The newer alternative to the metal bucket. The sap flows from the tree through the tubes to a central location.





Would you believe me if I said this is a colour picture? I did not change it to black and white.





My friend Janie and I. You should check out her blog - especially her Arizona pictures. They are amazing. Check out the one with the car - it's my favourite.



The dog at the sugar shack and the door to the sugar shack.



The furnace in the shack.



The firewood. No Checco, I will not ask the guy at the sugar shack where he gets his wood for the fire.





When I got home, Ava was playing and was very carefully carrying around her "baby sister". I didn't have the heart to tell her that this is closest to a baby sister she is ever going to have.



Anyway, then I decided to take a picture of our beautiful and thriving maple in our backyard and wondered if I could tap it next spring.



Unfortunately I think I have a better chance getting tetanus from the rusty support pole than getting any sap out of our Charlie Brown tree.

When I turned around to come in I saw this:



So my last few pictures from the day. Like I said, Carrie and I are the end of the line so we figured we'd get a shot of us in front of the outhouse with one of the account executives locked inside. So we grabbed a hold of Celia, put her inside and held the door shut. For some reason she had been carrying around a stick during the tour and had taken it inside with her. This is what happened when she opened the door. She had added a white flag made out of a piece of toilet paper to the end (thanks Janie for taking these pictures):




This is exactly why I went back to work. I love the people I work with and I laugh like this every day. I just hope I don't look like a spaz like this every time.

Anyway, it was a great day and I took a lot of pictures, but the picture I most wanted to get I didn't get. It was Steve Perry and Jennifer McDougall live and unplugged in the car as I headed home through mennonite country. School had just let out and as I was driving along I saw the most perfect photo opportunity ever. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a wheat field. It had been cut down but not tilled over yet so it was very smooth, kind of like a yellow lawn and the field had a slope to it like a hill. Anyway, walking across the field were three mennonite children on their way home from school. They couldn't have been more than 10-12 years old and there was one boy and two girls. The girls had on black bonnets and jackets and you could see the beautiful colours of their dresses peeking out from underneath their long jackets. You could see their farm and old farmhouse off in the distance at the other side of the field. They were carrying their books with them.

I wanted so badly to slam on the brakes, but A. there was a Rogers cable guy who was riding my tail and B. I wouldn't let myself. I could have turned around, but I would have felt guilty. The mennonites don't like having their picture taken and I know I sure wouldn't appreciate some random stranger taking pictures of my kids walking home from school. So I continued on but I know that if I had taken it, it would have been hands down my favourite photo for the day.

Thanks for looking! And thanks for reading. I've been debating about my posts lately. I've been putting far too much detail and information into this project 365. If you are getting bored or think I should get a life, please feel free to tell me...

Comments

Sheri said…
Jen, let me be the first to tell you to keep doing what you're doing! I love reading your posts, you make me laugh and your pictures are always fabulous! Don't change a thing! 20 years from now when you read the book that you're making from all your blog posts, you'll appreciate that you put all the detail and hard work into this project! It'll be a family keepsake for many years to come!

Loved reading about today and the pictures are great! That's so awesome that you work at a place that does that sort of thing! I can see now why you went back.
Sheri said…
One more thing, you can tell Ava that the next time we're in town she can hold Cayla and feel like she has a baby sister, even if it's only for a moment...LOL This of course all depends on whether Cayla's real big sister will allow it :)
Melissa said…
I agree with Sheri - don't change a thing! Your blog is fabulous, hilarious and the highlight of my morning! Awesome pictures! What are you guys doing next weekend? We could go to Elmira for the Maple Syrup Festival! They have fabulous pancakes and cheese curds too! Will check with mom and dad too!
Anonymous said…
Your blog is the highlight of my day! I check in every morning. It is a great start when I see smiling faces enjoying family, friends and life. Love Mom
Shannon said…
I totally understand why you would want to go back to work. If I had worked with such a great bunch of people I would want to as well. Sure would beat screaming kids all day!!

Love the photos today!
T said…
Please please please, continue, I am so loving this and honestly I enjoy the written, it expands the picture to include all I can't see ..... absolutely fantastic and I have to agree, when you look back you will be so impressed with what you have created :) it is amazing Jen :)
ps. love the laughing and woo hoo you go girl :)
tconlan said…
I am having such a great time reading your posts! I love your sense of humor and your perspective is fantastic! Beautiful photos! Good luck with that maple in your yard! :)
Erika said…
You're doing great! I love reading about all your adventures; your pics and journaling are wonderful. Please continue!!

Great pics for today too. This maple sugar shack seems interesting. And the trees are fabulous! They look huge in your photos, so cool. Seems like a fun bunch of people you work with as well. :) What do you do for work?
SocRMum1 said…
More details! More, more, more! I can't get enough of your hilarious insight in everyday life. And having such an adorable family is a definite bonus.

Love it! :)