Maple Syrup Time

The following is a reprint from my myspace blog from about this time last year.
A couple of updates are in order: First, the price of pancakes has gone up-we went last week and it's about $18 for all three of us-still a deal. Second, my comment about not having DSL-finally got it last summer, but with the weather it's been a little iffy this week.
I have to share a little funny from our meal last week. When I was served, they gave me a HUGE pancake telling me I was the 300th customer (not sure I bought that). I only took the one since it was as big as my plate. I barely finished it, but I told Geno, "Well I can tell people I only had one pancake and not be a liar."
Another little note about Pancake breakfast, we do this every year. It's one of those little traditions that we've started. I think that this is such a great thing to do for kids-it just builds those happy childhood memories. We go every year to the breakfast at Century Village and then go to the little general store there and get a little something. Jack loves this. I'm glad I can do this for him. You know, we don't know how long we'll have with our children and we need to just make time to do these kinds of things. I lost my parents when I was pretty young-an adult, but a very young adult. I miss my dad everyday, but one of the things that sustains me, aside from knowing I'll see him again one day, are the memories I have of him.

Maple syrup time. I live in Northeast Ohio, and a sure sign that Spring is coming is that there are pancake breakfasts everywhere. If you don't know, Northeast Ohio is big maple syrup country-Vermont gets all the acclaim, but we are just as syrupy here. Every school child learns the steps to making syrup. (I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you.) Seriously from mid February until sometime in April we are just Maple Crazy here.
And I love it. First, I love maple syrup. I love candy and to me Maple syrup is like having candy for breakfast. When I was a little girl, I could eat french toast or pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because I got to have syrup on them. (Per my last blog-I guess maybe I need to add gluttony to my sin list.) You can see from my childhood pictures, I was just a little thing, but boy could I put away the pancakes. That may be why I'm not a little thing now. When I was at church camp, I ate over 20 pancakes one morning in a pancake eating contest. BTW, I never could eat pancakes without getting syrup in my hair. I wore braids ala Laura from Little House from the time I was 8 or 9 until I was 12 and usually one would end up in syrup. I have very thick coarse hair and things tend to stick to it even today (kind of like velcro) so syrup was hard to get out.
I still love pancakes although I don't think I could eat 20 now. I actually don't eat them much now. I'm not very good at making them. When I do make them, I usually give my son the best ones and get the goofy burnt ones. (I just cover them with syrup ) I also don't have a lot of time to make them. I get them at restaurants when we're on vacation and every year we go to a local pancake breakfast in March. Today was the day to keep that tradition. After church, we went to Century Village and had our pancakes for lunch. It's a good deal. You get all the pancakes you can eat 3 sausage links, applesauce, milk, and oj for $6. Kids are only $3 so we got a really great lunch for $15. What a deal. They've gotten kind of fancy-offering blueberry and applesauce pancakes, but I'm a traditonalist and stick with the buttermilk.
You know sometimes small town life is kind of a pain. My current headache is a lack of DSL. Actually some people in my area have it-some don't. I don't. However, with all the faults, I love living here. I love that we have stuff like pancake breakfasts. I love the fact that I've lived in the area for almost 35 years and wherever I go, I see someone I know. Chances are I've known that person since I was a kid.
I also love Maple Syrup-it's candy..........for breakfast.