March looks like it will go out like a lamb. I think it came in like a lion for parts of the Northeast, but maybe that was a 3" snowfall for us here in Vermont. Come to think of it, most of the snowfalls this winter have been a mere 3 inches. Sugar season ended two weeks ago. My daughter and her husband came up from Maryland, and my brother-in-law came over from New Hampshire the weekend of St. Patrick's Day. It was warm. It was sunny. It was time to pull the taps from the trees! We couldn't believe the sap had stopped running. We made a meager 47 gallons this year, nothing compared to the over 100 gallons last year. But the warm weather had moths out, peeper frogs peeping, mosquitoes flying, and the buds beginning to appear on the trees. Did I mention warm? How about downright hot, 80 degrees the following week? On Sunday we all gathered for our breakfast at our favorite morning diner-My T Fine, ate, and headed our separate ways:me to work, my daughter and her husband on the road home (and did I mention they are carrying grandchild #3 due in September?) and my brother-in-law back to his house east. The temperatures slowly rose for the next 6 days from the 50's, to the 60's, 70's and into the 80's before cooling down and giving us more normal March weather this week. It was crazy. The snow melted everywhere, the ice vanished on our pond, even the ledge off the highway that normally has a chunk of melting snow/ice is completely clear. The birch trees and the willows are in bud, and ready to burst their leaves open. Spring is on its way!
In case you are wondering, I didn't get a chance to enjoy much of that beautiful weather last week. No sirree, I had the grand task of working every day last week, for a total of 58 and a half hours. I had a new lady all lined up to start working, but she decided it wasn't worth the pay for her drive, and just never came in. So, it was back to the drawing, or hiring, board. So, to add to last week's 7 days in a row, I also have completed another 6 days, with one more to go this week before I finally get Sunday (and Tuesday and Thursday) off. I did hire two new employees, and one started training on Wednesday, but wasn't ready to do it alone yet, and no one else was able to do any of the days or pick up time on Saturday. I will open tomorrow, and hope to head out no later than 3. It was bad around day 10/11, but then I started counting just a few more to go and it hasn't been too awful the last few. Plus I've been training, which makes the days go faster. And its been fairly slow in the store, especially today because President Obama came to Burlington. He is the first sitting president to visit the state in over 10 years, and the road closures and traffic nightmares kept people away from the area around the mall. But I will be soooo glad to be off 3 days next week. Except guess what needs to be done? Yup-grocery shopping, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, laundry-all the fun stuff we just love doing on our days off! But I think I'm having lunch with a friend Thursday, so that will be great. Now, we just have to hope we have a nice April, and we don't get dumped on by heavy snowstorms!
