The Breakup

It was a rainy Monday morning, and I was rushing around like every other morning trying to get the kiddo to school on time.  She beat the bell and I headed back home to start another batch of our yummy pure maple candy.  That's when I got the text that changed my life. "Video headquarters is closing." Can't be true, I thought.  I was just there the other day.  In fact, I had movies to return and the next disc of 'Bones' to get.  "It's online in the Sentinel," my husband texted when I questioned his source of information.  I was devestated.  How could this be?  What am I going to do now?  I was in a panic - how will I see the rest of 'Bones' and the other tv shows coming out in the fall?  Getting cable was out of the question.  I felt as if they were breaking up with me and I didn't know whether to be angry or sad.  I think I was, in fact, a little (ok, a lot) of both.  Why didn't anyone say anything to me?  I thought I was special.  Don't they care I don't have cable?  I went in on the first day of their sale and told them how I felt, as if I was their only heartbroken customer.  "It's not you, it's us," was the reply I got.  I understand why they are closing.  With digital streaming, Netflix, Red box, etc; it was really only a matter of time before this happened. My feelings are only selfish. I know what you are thinking - what are you so distraught over? It's just a video store.  But that's where you are wrong.  Video Headquarters is so much more than a video store.  In an age where just about everything is automated or done electronically, it was nice to be able to get my dvd rentals with some personal interaction.  Video headquarters was a place where you were greeted by name when you walked through the door.   A place where they gave you their undivided attention if you had a question or even just while checking out. A place where even though you were the only one (ok, one of five) who watched a particular tv show, they would order the next season so you wouldn't be left guessing at what would happen next. A place where they would hold the next disc in a tv series for you because they knew you would be coming in for it that day, whether or not you had asked them to.  A place where they would offer the perfect suggestions when you are bored by the unoriginal movies that seem to be the trend nowadays.  A place that will be truly missed by many in our community.  So, now that I've gotten my feelings off my chest, I think I'll do what happens after every other breakup.  I'll grab a pint of Ben & Jerry's and head off to their 50% off sale to claim what's mine (and maybe cry once more).
I would like to thank everyone at Video Headquarters for their great service over the years.  We will miss you all!

Season Recap

I would like to apologize for not keeping up with this blog.  It was a busy sugaring season, and while it would have been optimal to write about it as it was happening, there was just never enough time.  With classes, the kiddo and family, and the long days and nights of boiling all keeping me busy, any "spare" time was spent sleeping.  Now that I am somewhat caught up on sleep (and everything else) I suppose I should recall the highlights of our season.
I have had a lot of "firsts" in our sugar house.  My first "date" with my husband, my first time bottling syrup, and, this season, my first time boiling without the hubby home.  I never thought the day would come.  I had set up, run the evaporator, and shut down everything in the sugar house successfully many times without incident.  I have never burned pans, boiled over, or run out of sap.  The hubby is just really particular about how things are done and nervous about letting go of the reigns.  The slow start to the season didn't help.  Most of the sap we gathered had to be saved to boil on the weekends when we had our open sugar house, as the temperatures would drop and the sap wouldn't run when we had visitors.  In April that all changed.  We had added 150 or so taps on our vacuum line for this season and once mother nature finally started cooperating, we were inundated with sap.  Unable to keep up just boiling at night after the hubby was home from work, he finally gave in and let me boil during the day.  The first day was nerve wracking and liberating at the same time.  I was confident, yet worried, knowing how nervous my husband was.  He would text me every ten minutes or so to see how things were going.  Every siren he heard throughout the day put him in a panic and he would call to make sure the sugar house wasn't burning down.  I had it under control.  We run a pretty efficient operation and have many fail-safes in case something should go wrong.  Luckily, I never had to hit the emergency shut off switch.  Boiling is my favorite part of sugaring, so I was pretty excited to run the show all by myself.  There's something about the steam, the sweet smell, and the transformation from sap to syrup that makes boiling so fascinating.  There was no way I would screw up my chances of being able to do something I love so much.  I followed all of the hubby's rules to a t.  My husband became more and more comfortable with me boiling during the day as the season went on.  Which was great, because there would have been no way we would have kept up with the amount of sap we had otherwise. 
NH started adopting the new syrup grade changes this year.  Everything will now be considered grade A (no more grade B). This new system will be used throughout the maple industry, including Canada, Vermont, New York, and others. This season we produced a lot of light grade (or golden delicate) syrup, which is good for us since we use the light to make our yummy maple candy and maple cream with.  Luckily, we also made some medium (amber rich), dark (dark robust), and b (very dark strong) for all of our customers to enjoy!  Confused by the new grading system or not sure which grade you would like? Just ask! We are always happy to help others enjoy our pure maple syrup and maple products!
http://woodardssugarhouse.com/