Organ, J. (2008, April 9). Lakeland Manor, Washburn County Register, p. 19.

Lakeland Manor Maple Tree

by Janice Organ

The Wildlife and Garden Club and Mary Ellen Ryall have started doing spring things looking forward to the upcoming growing season. I realize we cannot get out and do any planting right now, which is fun, but the planning part of the growing season is just as fun. This is such an exciting time of the year for me and for many of us suffering from the winter blues. Anticipation is almost as much fun as the work and to the outcome. This time of the year being what it is makes getting out for garden preparation a bit premature. But, we discovered another activity that we can participate in that is appropriate for the season. That would be tapping the maple tree in the manor’s front yard. That’s right! We are our own sugar bush with one tree. That may be quite a bit below the requirement for a registered sugar bush qualification, but what the heck? Label us a mini bush.

Of course, many of the residents here are quite familiar with the whole process, but being that we have no equipment or the necessary materials to actually tap a tree, we went ahead and requested assistance from someone who knows the difference between a maple tree and a flagpole. That, my friends, would be Boyd Anderson! He really does know the difference too. With school being cancelled on April 1 due to a snow day Body chose that day to come and help us with our tree, but he had to bring the real workers with him. Trevor, the driller and spokesman for the group, Marty, the main assistant, and Megan, the giggly, happy one, all came by to lend their dad a hand. You all got to see Trevor and Megan on the cover of the Washburn County Register a few weeks back working on their own family’s sap-gathering efforts. This whole process is such an interesting activity. We may even get a chance to go see them cooking down the sap. Our tree has been quite busy too, filling four five-gallon containers in five days! Not bad, huh? Since we are not the ones doing all of the work, I shall say, with the Anderson family’s help, we are hoping that if we get some syrup, we are going to have a breakfast feast for all the residents! Share the wealth, so to speak. Just a little something to look forward to.

Now remember the snow day fell on April 1, which is also April Fools’ Day. So, the Anderson family came by to do their good deed and brought all of the necessary tools and equipment needed…even some they didn’t. Mr. Anderson had taken it upon himself to bring an additional tool that was nowhere near essential for this process, but being that it was April Fools’ Day, he was going to have a little fun. Well, it was fun and it wasn’t at my expense, which makes it even better. The kids were all aware of this little joke and could hardly contain themselves during the drilling process. Then, when it was time for Ann Cassel to use the tap puller, the joke was up! The laughs finally were able to burse from their bellies. Ann was a great sport through all of this and gave us all a few more chuckles before the whole joke was over.

A few weeks back, I had failed to report that Mary Ellen had baked a pie from some frozen blueberries she had picked last summer at Bashaw Valley Green house. This is why you freeze those little gems…she then took them out, made a tasty dessert, and had a little bit of summer in the middle of March! Mary Ellen shared her pie with a few of the residents that evening, including Ray Schultz. I received a piece of the pie the next day, and I was glad that she had a little piece of summer left over. Thank you, Mary Ellen.