Sugar Maples by Nancy Dingman Walsh & Illus by Erik Blegvad

Sugar Maples

The snow in the sugar bush is up to my knees

But Peter says I can help tap the trees

 So we harness up the horses and hitch up the sled

And shout Giddy-up! to big Tom and Ned. 

When we reach the icy brook Peter lets the horses drink

 But then we hurry over so the sled won't sink. 

We're deep in the sugar bush and Peter hollers Whoa!

 And the horses stand still in the quiet, in the snow 

Their nostrils blow steam and their coats foam white

And the birds stop to listen in the shafts of morning light.

Peter drills the holes and I stick in the spouts 

And we hush and watch the first sweet sap drip out. 

I kneel beneath the spout and the sweet drips on my tongue 

And then we tramp from tree to tree to get the buckets hung. 

At noon we build a fire and eat a big lunch

 And listen to the jaybirds scold and hear the horses munch 

It's a long day's work, the big horses sweat 

My mittens freeze stiff and my feet slosh wet 

I'd really like to quit but I can't till we're through--

Peter wants to finish, and so do I too. 

The sun is sliding down the sky--Let's head home! Peter shouts

 The horses speed, the sled is light without the pails and spouts... 

The kitchen's warm and through the door there drifts amidst the clutter

The lovely smell of homemade bread and newly churned butter. 

Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall & Illus by Barbara Cooney

This is a book from my childhood. I was a weird little history obsessed child and I LOVED this book. 

This story is a year in the life of... wait for it... the Ox-Cart Man! 

And it is illustrated by Barbara Cooney. 

Barbara Cooney is my hero. 

Her illustrations always seem exactly right. That folk art vibe! 

In October, the cart is loaded up with all the surplus of the family. 

The Ox-Cart man takes his cart to market, which involves walking for ten days. 

I was always impressed that he didn't ride in the cart those ten days. Clearly he was a conscientious farmer who didn't want to overburden his ox. 

At Portsmouth Market, he sells everything he brought. 

Including his ox and the cart.

There is something so terribly neat and tidy about this scheme. I am still just as impressed as my nine-year-old self. 

With the money he earns, he goes to the general store to get things they can't make at home. 

And then the ten day walk home. 

I bet that cozy little house looked ever so much more appealing after a month of walking, selling, buying, and walking. 

At home, our industrious family starts right in--using their new purchases to make things to sell for next year. 

As I sit here in a welter of to-do lists that always seem to be put of until tomorrow, I really, really wish I had even half of their got-it-togetherness. 

Sigh. 

I sometimes wonder if I would have been industrious back in the day, or would I have been one of those day dreaming types that gets nothing done except acquire the disapproval of all the village ladies. But then I stop wondering because, frankly, I am pretty sure everyone would disapprove of me. 

A new cart, new yoke, and more shingles are started in the barn, while the new calf grows into a nice ox. 

Meanwhile, spinning and embroidery takes place inside. 

Oh these clearly defined gender roles. 

Sugaring!!

I adore sugaring pictures. 

And after a year of industry, the Ox-Cart man and his family is ready to send their surplus to the market again. 

So neat. So tidy. So...never-ending. 

Even if they wouldn't approve of me, I am glad I am a modern woman who has the leisure to spend a few hours Cyber Monday/Tuesday shopping if she feels like it. 

Because lets face it, those 50% off deals aren't going to buy themselves. Probably Mrs. Ox-Cart would heartily approve of my thrifty nature. 

Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush

This was one of my favorite childhood books. I loved this book. I read it about 15 times. (Or thereabouts.) I bought the audio CD of this for my kids a few years ago, and now I have listened to it a few hundred times. We all love it. 

Set in Pennsylvania, this winner of the 1957 Newbery follows ten year old Marley and her brother Joe as they get used to living on a long empty family farm in Western PA. Needing peace and quiet and something to do after being a prisoner of war in WWII, their father moves out to the farm, and Marley, Joe, and Mother commute between their city life and the farm each week. Mr. Chris, a neighbor who has known the family for years, promises to show Marley a miracle each weekend she comes to the farm. Slowly, her father comes back from the terrible emotional place he has been and Maple Hill becomes a precious place to the whole family. There is a lot of overcoming and joy and love in the book, as well as a lot of nature. Mr. Chris is always showing Marley or Joe a plant or tree or natural phenomena. Not to mention the sugaring. Oh, the sugaring! No wonder I adored this book! 

I also love Beth and Joe Krush illustrations. They were a husband and wife team, quite popular in the 1940's and 50's, with several illustrated chapter books to their credit. They were both illustrators in their own right, but started helping each other meet deadlines. Eventually, they just worked as a team. 

(Interesting wikipedia tidbit, Joe Krush was a court sketch artist at the Nuremberg trials.) 

Marley and the farm. 

Meeting Mr. Chris in the sugarbush

Mother showing Marley the view from her old room that would now be Marley's room. 

In the Sugar Shack

Marley, lured  into the cows pasture by some pretty flowers, is slightly concerned about the cows and their intentions.

Harry the Hermit and the family's first livestock.

Marley and her friend Margie

Collecting sap. Love this picture!

Having Mr. Chris test the maple syrup they had made without him.