How do you like this picture of Bluebirds that I took this morning?
Meeting Pooh Bear
Today, we have a guest writer; Adrian!
We went to the play to watch Pooh. It was Pooh Bear’s birthday! They threw candy for us (for our present).
I liked the first part when Pooh was needing to go to the top tree because he needed honey. Piglet was staying there till the bees came out, then she got Christopher Robin.
Pooh Bear was funny. I liked him.
In the next one Little Kanga said she did not need to go home. Then she wanted her momma because she was sick because she ate a bunch of candy.
The next one, Pooh was funny. He was stuck because he ate too much honey and marmalade and it was his birthday and then Piglet got pie in the face!
Then the people in the play gave presents to people who helped them with the play. I am glad I went. Thank you Oma and Opa!
There was not a Tigger there, but I was happy because I was Tigger!
Crossing Over
Awhile ago we went to Blue and Gold. It is a big party with lots of food and Cub Scout rank badges. This year I got my Arrow of Light. I also crossed over. We tried to get some pictures but did not get many good ones 🙁 so Mr. Buckler, a friend’s Grandpa sent us most of these.
When I crossed over, I got some pewter Scouts. I think they are from a early 1900 mold. I will have to check that out. No Uncle Joe, you can not have them for your pewter collection!
Crossing Over
Friday I crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts! This is my new uniform and neckerchief.
Because I am a Lone Scout–a scout who does not have a troop–but can go between troops, I got to design my own neckerchief. We made it big, because they are changing it to a larger size. The colors represent what I want to become. Red for courageous and determined, Orange for creative and Blue for having perseverance, Truth and Faith in Jesus Christ.
Right now I am trying to get my Scout Badge–which is the first badge in Boy Scouts, so I can earn Tenderfoot next. My goal is to eventually earn Eagle.
I will share some pictures on my Crossing Over later.
Just for fun, Momma found some pictures of when I started Scouts as a Tiger Cub and my Tiger Cub Crossing over to Wolf Cub. Uncle Dave was my original Scout leader. Daddy was my Den Leader. Now Daddy is my Lone Scout Leader.
Maple Syrup Update
Our family canned more than a gallon of maple syrup! That equals 760 cups of sap which equals at least 47.5 gallons of sap from our one tree!
We decided to stop because it started to get warm in the night. We thought we had enough for this year.
This summer we are going to find some Maple trees and mark them. Then next spring hopefully, we are going to make some candy and some maple cream.
Our syrup tastes a lot better because it is not as runny and does not absorb into pancakes as quickly. We know if it is done by picking some syrup up with a spoon and watching how it runs, and then tasting it!
Maple Syrup Taste Test
We had two jars of Maple Syrup. The store bought one is Vermont Maple Leaf Syrup, amber grade. The other is Indiana 100% pure McGuire Grade–maybe light Amber. It is lighter in color than the Vermont syrup.
Momma put the two syrups in two cups. We each got a spoonful of each. We tasted them to see which one was runnier, lighter in color, and which one tasted better.
Everyone knew which one was the home made because it looked and ran different. The home made was runnier and lighter in color. Daddy thought it was quite a bit runnier.
I think both of them tasted good. We will boil ours down some more before canning it, but it is good as it is. Our next batch will be closer to the right thickness the first time hopefully.
Maple Syrup Weather
We got some plastic taps and tubes last year. When we were sure the sap was dripping–the weather was warming up–we went outside, bored a hole in our Maple tree and put the taps in. We put some holes in the lids of some milk jugs, put the tubes in the hole, put the lids on the milk jugs, and let it sit in a bucket. That way if it overflowed, we would not lose it all.
Then we collected the sap for a week and on Monday started to boil it down. We started out doing it inside–which is not recommended unless you do not mind a very humid house– and then moved it outside when we got the outside stove done.
The stove was easy to make if you can carry the cinder blocks. We took four cinder blocks and put them in two rows with a separation between it. We used the racks from our oven to hold the pots. (We learned not to use your good cooking pots because it gets all sooty and black. Daddy bought us some 14 quart flat pans for our next batch. We will try soaping the bottoms of the pan to see if that helps.) Daddy designed a chimney. If smoke gets in the sap, the syrup does not taste very good. Then you put a fire under it and boil the sap.
Then you sit around and make sure the fire keeps going. Try to persuade your Mom to let you roast sausages and invite neighbors to see what you are doing. Do not put cold sap with hot sap, it could make the syrup darker. The darker the syrup is the less fancy it is. We used two pots and poured the boiling sap in the large container when there was room. Take off foam when it boils. When it is almost syrup, you strain it to get the sugar sand out. Then you finish boiling it. We checked to see if it was done by seeing how it ran on the spoon and tasting it! It took all day to boil it all down and some of the next day.
Let it sit overnight, keeping it cool. Heat it to 180 degrees and can it in sterilized jelly jars. When you are hungry you make pancakes or waffles. Put them on your plate and cover them with your maple syrup. Enjoy!
Mohawk Update
Last Saturday, Momma finally let me get a mohawk. Which only lasted for about 12 hours before Daddy cut it off. 🙁
I wish we could have cut my hair on Friday, and cut the mohawk off on Saturday. Other then my ears get a lot colder outside, it is a lot easier to take care of now!
(Did you like the green hair? Daddy taught me how to Gimp it).
Here is a new picture of my haircut. Hope you enjoyed my joke!
Momma FINALLY Let Me!
I have been wanting a mohawk for a very long time.
Momma really doesn’t like mohawks. I asked Daddy if I could and he said to ask Momma. Momma wasn’t really paying attention when I asked her, and said “Sure, if Daddy says okay.”
Last time Momma let me cut my hair, I tried to cut a mohawk, but I got a thin little stripe down the middle. Daddy cut my hair and made a mohawk! Then he added the green hair gel.
When Momma saw me, she started giggling and said “shave it off!” Daddy had heard when I asked Momma permission and said “You said that he could”. So, I have a Mohawk!
Best of show
Ducky did not win Best of show 
, but I like Reece’s car the best!
