Hi guys, thanks for the B-day wishes! I hope this message finds you all well and happy, and I sincerely hope this Easter Sunday is as beautiful wherever you are, as it is here today in my corner of Indiana. I realize that a post from myself doesn't meet the criteria for what is expected of the membership, so I humbly ask for a little latitude in this area, that I might answer a few recurring questions and share an annual update on the Livingston family. If it is not permissible, then I completely understand its removal.
First and foremost, the family is well. We have one son in college, and one is a sophomore in high school. It doesn't seem possible that these are the same two boys who used to drink from the sap buckets, and collect Thomas the Tank Engine toys. In spite of my pitiful efforts, they are both great boys(guys?. Must be their mother's influence.
The job goes well, in the last year of my four year apprenticeship. I reckon I must be doing ok, as my journeyman convinced our supervisor to petition the state for a temporary license for me. I've had my own vehicle, and my own route, since late Jan. All pretty real now.
The HBG, the original HBG experiment that I began a decade ago, is drawing to a close. I never got the two pounder, but just three hours ago I netted a dying specimen that was floundering on the surface. I estimate him to be 7-8 years of age, and in severe decline. I have him in a bucket, pondside, right now. He'll be dead shortly I'm sure. he measures 12.5" in length, but only 1-10 in weight. Would've loved to have seen him in his prime. Phase two of the HBG experiment is well underway, and I remain optimistic, given what I've learned over these years. Early results are very promising.
Maple syrup...yep, still making it. This past season was amazing. We have completed our transition away from buckets, and have committed fully to tubing. We also added a dedicated finishing room to the sugarhouse, as well as a room for the homemade reverse osmosis unit I put together last fall. It proved to be a game changer, enabling us to remove 75% of the water without ever starting a fire. 75% less firewood burned, and 75% reduction in time spent boiling. We made the more syrup this year than we ever have before, and are working on expanding our market. We were thrilled when a local distillery began using our product, and we have plans to greatly expand for next season also. We now produce a vanilla bean maple syrup which turned out huge, and hopefully will have a hot pepper, and a coffee bean added to the lineup next year. Never in a million years did I envision myself going beyond that first year's, one quart of under-density syrup, made over an open fire, outside. Crazy.
I don't wish to upset things, so I'll stop there. I miss you guys, but I still check in regularly to see what's going on. You all take care, till next year, peace.
