A Separated Peace

Like responsible citizens across the country, we are

learning a new cadence for living daily lives.

Rampant virus has created havoc in our lives

and caused premature separation from many loved

and admired young missionaries, sent home to avoid

unnecessary risk here in New England, or as 

'21 month Elders'. With more quiet time working from 

the apartment, and with the sadness of losing 

these associations, I admit that fear and disquiet crept in. 

One antidote has been to (safely) walk outside. 

Yesterday, Vince and I wandered the quarter mile toward 

St. Anselm College. Sponsored by a different religion, 

its statuary and abandoned quiet have helped me find 

the "peace" to "be still." Above, periwinkle crocus were spied 

along a secluded path. Below, cheery buds appear

near the vacant on-campus student housing . . .

. . . and even the regular, New England style dorms

helped me breath in and out with improved calmness.

Following our afternoon walk, we returned to relish words

from our living Prophet, President Nelson, who suggested

we should "look to the Savior for peace and comfort". 

His introduction of the new symbol of the Church, 

the graphic representation of the Thorvaldsen Christus

also was helpful in lifting my spirit, for I know my Savior lives.

Despite widespread concerns, my lamp continues to be

filled with fun interactions. Elder Alex Johnson's

birthday fell on April 1st, and we planned ahead enough 

to have commercially-prepared baked treats delivered, 

and exactly on time. When he called to say "thank you",

I asked if he would take a selfie with companion 

Elder Elzinga, so I could share it with his parents.

For the balance of this post, I will share some of the beautiful 

countenances of the nearly three dozen Elders and Sisters 

who left earlier, or who will be departing on time this Friday.

(NOTE: the expected incoming 12 young 

missionaries have been delayed until further notice.)

Regular pattern for departures would have them preparing

and delivering their "Golden Truth" - essential lesson(s)

learned - to congregations of their fellows. Instead, these

will be included ONLY as written messages in 

the next mission newsletter. I distill those "truths" here.

* * * * *

Sister Drollinger: through the Atonement, I can overcome 

the things that hold me back.

Elder Rice: quoting Pres. Beck "Don't forget - this isn't

YOUR mission, it's the LORD's."

Sister Ward: we can be strong and function normally without

the Lord as the Lamanites did, but we can't WIN without

the Lord on our side.

Sister Chesley: on the need for regular repentance 

"instead of thinking poorly of yourself [for needing it],

think highly of the Lord [for offering it].

Elder Kingston: Heavenly Father puts us in the places where 

we need to be at the time we need to be there.

Sister Nye: at difficult times, we should rejoice that we are

counted worthy to suffer for His name like Peter and John.

Sister VanWagoner: once I could see when Christ was with me

in the past, seeing his presence in the moment became easier.

Sister Bell: we have many tools to defeat the Adversary,

particularly each other and our shared caring.

Sister Foote: as we do all we can, Christ will make up the rest.

Sister Rumsey: recognizing Heavenly Father's great love

in sending Jesus shows He has faith in our existence, 

even when we don't feel faith in ourselves.

Elder White: I have felt the Lord changing and polishing me.

Elder Ellsworth: quoting a song - "your life is not falling apart,

it is falling into place."

Elder Sessions: no matter what you teach, you always need

to show that you yourself know it is true.

Elder Burger: grace is what allows disciples of Christ

to endure all things.

Elder Hemstreet: "he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

Elder Mortensen: "dispute not because ye see not, for

ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Elder Stuart: fight the good fight; be armed with

knowledge and determination.

Sister Raccuia: we will always need the Savior to make up

the difference.

Sister Hernandez: remembering my Purpose was what 

allowed me to endure joyfully.

Sister Romero: "for with God, nothing is impossible."

Elder Button: the only thing that matters is that you are

doing better today than you were yesterday.

Elder Merrill: happiness isn't something you acquire,

it is something you choose.

Elder Brunson: understanding God's great love for me makes 

me capable to love others even at first meeting,

Elder Allen: when I'm following God's guidance, 

I've never smiled more.

Sister Green: "grace is not about filling gaps, 

it is about filling us."

Sister Ladle: to acquire the pure love of Christ, 

we need to pray and work for it.

Sister Ogden: I can feel the Savior with me the same as I

would have if I had lived during his mortal ministry.

Sister E. Smith: don't try to be someone you're not.

Trust the Lord that he needs the person you ARE.

Sister Crook: when life gets you down,

 turn to Christ - he will lift you up.

Sister Christiansen: Jesus Christ's light shines not just

at the end of the tunnel, but thru us as we serve others.

Elder Jensen: everything in the Gospel is centered in love.

Sister Gaunt: when we try our best, His grace will make up the rest.

Sister Johnson: a great missionary is voluntarily obedient.

Our lives have been blessed by these wonderful

young missionaries. Our lamps are full,

and their flames flicker and reflect from

our wet cheeks.

Go with peace, even as we are separated.

On Circling the Wagons

For frontier wagon trains, creating a protective perimeter

with the largest objects they had at hand provided some

measure of emotional and physical security.

It was known as "Circling the Wagons". Apart from times

of peril, it offered a feeling of control over environment,

a visual establishment of community, a circle of union.

This post will report on the mostly continual changes that are

occurring here, so that when we look back, we can remember

what it felt like to try to shoulder on against the onslaught!

* * * * *

But first, a weather report:

this past week the calendar indicated the "first day of Spring."

March offers alternating days of hope and gloom.

In the parking lot the maple trees hint at the color to come

with their reddish leaf buds.

Two days earlier, we woke up to Mother's Nature's

sense of humor, as seen out our deck window.

Warm enough air and soil to sprout crocus,

And along the river walk trail, the carpet of decaying leaves

is being pushed aside by colorful shoots.

The forest of trees will soon have their complement of

foliage to block the nourishing sun, but for now,

vines take advantage and get a head start on greening.

Oh, I'm looking forward to emerging into summer!

But 'til then, like the whole world, we circle our wagons. 

NHMM continues to adapt and function in the middle 

of this pandemic crisis. Change is constant as we share the need 

for protection and isolation, as well as the strengthening of

emotional and social ties. 

It seems like news-worthy datelines crawl across each day,

but one of major significance happened on Thursday, March 26.

NH Governor Sununu issued a "stay at home" order.

Guidance we were following from the Missionary Dept. 

now had the force of civil government.

As I prepared last week's post, our hearts were already

full as we waited for the inevitable -- sending home

two dozen young missionaries because of health concerns

that put them at higher risk, plus a couple of 21 month Elders.

We had a special Sunday (safe distance) meeting with these two,

serving as Spanish speaking Hermanas in the Manchester Ward.

They promised they would drop into the office on Monday

so we would be sure to see them before they were gone.

(Sisters Ladle and Green at Manchester airport.)

Sunday night late, they "attacked" our apartment door with 

hearts overwritten with sentiments of affection and caring.

(As a side note, we believe they may have also traveled

to the Auburn home of Sister Nicklaus and similarly attacked

her door - something very novel to her, and which impressed

and touched her husband particularly!)

By Tuesday morning, we learned they had traveled home

with flight plans arranged extraordinarily by their parents,

to get them out of harm's way. It seemed extreme, but . . .

. . . within hours, news was received about earthquakes

near Salt Lake airport. Soon aftershocks prompted new activity

from the Mission Dept. hedging against possible complicating 

airport closures. We received urgent word through Pres. and

Sister Beck that the Mission Dept. in SL was authorizing us

to enlist parents' help in the same way

for the remaining missionaries on the "at risk" list.

We each took a few names, and called parents with urgent

instructions to book flights for the next day, Wednesday.

During this scramble, I was asked to book two flights

for Sisters that I am very fond of - such a torrent of conflicting 

emotions, to urgently and efficiently assist them away!

The many who left will be represented by the few

who we could say good-bye to:

here are Sisters Hernandez, Stant and Van Wagoner. 

(On a forward-looking note, three new missionaries arrived

Fri. night, reassigned from Asia region, with more still

on the docket to come and serve with us in NHMM.)

Here is a posted picture of Elder Rice who we were able

to connect so completely with when he was assigned

to the Bedford Ward and could regularly visit the office.

He returned home through the Tucson airport. 

Now there's no chance to hear his homecoming report.

The final departure in this "batch" was Sister Gaunt,

from England. She was able, on Sunday, as part of

a mission-wide online devotional, to share her feelings

about her service, her commitment to sharing the Gospel,

and her struggle to turn this heart-wrenching change

over to the Lord, who has a plan and fulfills it with love.

With high priority to comfort and lead the missionaries even

as they learned about their fellows leaving, and as they

deal with the stay at home directives, this past week was 

filled with on-line meetings. One included a presentation by

the regional medical adviser Dr. Gatrell, who talked with calm

and good sense about the virus and how to take personal care

to reduce risks, and the need to get outside for exercise.

His words reassured me, certainly.

Another day, Dan Carter, a counselor who lives and works

within the mission, talked to the missionaries about practices

for dealing with the emotional ride as we shelter and

stay inside. His advice was also comforting and helpful.

 This image, below, is of Vince as we listened to a morning 
meeting from the kitchen area of our apartment.
Vince is my "rock" and remains 
[sometimes aggravatingly] positive and hopeful.
Given the choice to leave or stay (as essential office staff), 
we have received personal assurance to stay.
But in balance for safety, we are working fewer hours each day
in the office, and also trying to skip alternate days. 
(Not quite sure how we will explain the "essential" nature
of our work, under the stay at home directive.)

As I have rolled and plunged emotionally, I keep trying

to find the "good" in these novel situations.

The "Polyanna" effect is a phrase I like, so I guess I was

hunting along those lines. I'm sure life will change because of

what started in earnest for us this final week in March.

A down-note is my reaction now to the "threat" posed

by simply encountering the apartment building door knob,

one of the few community surfaces we must touch each day.

I wonder how long it will take to become "normal" again.

A small glimmer is that we were home late one morning

to spy the friendly cardinal visiting Vince's deck feeder.

(It felt like "good luck", but I wish he'd come 'round 

to this side!)

 On some level, I am analyzing my reactions, and comparing
to those of the humans around me. We didn't dash out,
for instance, to pick up a disproportionate amount of
toilet paper. Yet when I heard that the "only essential" businesses
restriction would NOT allow the craft stores to stay open,
I risked a trip for supplies so I can feed my creative needs.
This image below, represents the protective "gear" that
the Manchester Hobby Lobby had arranged for mutual benefit:
a vinyl barrier between clerk and customer!

We learn constantly about the miracles occurring here as 
teaching and invitations to "come unto Christ" continue, 
through inventive, creative ways. (I'll share more another time.)
Stories abound regarding helpful folks who share and serve,
comfort and medically treat. Cooperation seems to be alive and well.
(Of course, there remains much doom and gloom from network news.)
But my lamp has been filled by so many, from those reaching
to check in with isolated son Cory in Lehi, to testimonies
from dozens of young missionaries, to online comments
from positive-thinking nieces or friends from ward families.

I received particular strength hearing the voice of our
physician Prophet, with encouragement to call upon God
for comfort and guidance. Words that helped me
remember why we are here.
Sending our prayers for protection to the imperiled,
comfort to the worried, succor to the weary.
May your filled lamps help light the way through.

Tapping Those Maples

Our experience here in New Hampshire this week has echoed 

those of so many of our family and friends: 

it has been unlike anything we've experienced before. 

We will make an attempt to recount those changes

and modifications and continuing miracles later.

This week's post will present something that we have been

looking forward to since Christmas: maple tree tapping.

Visually we were treated to a sublime trees experience last autumn.

Here at early March, the sweet payoff begins in a different way.

(The image above shows the "grades" of maple syrup produced

during the late part of the season [left] to early [right].

They are ALL considered Grade A!)

 Maple Festival weekends have been held here  
yearly for consecutive decades.

Health crisis situations forced it to be cancelled for 2020.

However, we made "safe" arrangements with Just Maple

in Tilton, just 27 minutes to the north of us in Goffstown

(who share a special friendly relationship with the Rose

family in Franklin, our acquaintances from the Canterbury Ward).

And so were able to travel up to have a private tour. 

Delightful and educational!

 New to us was the idea that the freeze/thaw balance by

early March was when trees are tapped and "sap" is collected

and processed. Quotation marks are added because sap brings

an often mistaken mental image from what is actually collected.

We learned that the below-freezing night temps with

daytime temps in the 40s is optimum, so March is maple season!

It is a very labor intensive, traditional craft, with some 
technology and streamlining upgrades.

Pure pleasure (double entendre intended) was it for us

to meet and be informed by Pure Maple at Green Acres Farm

 owners and operators Barbara and Roger Proulx, 

shown here (above) at the end of our visit in the gift shop. 

(Wish I had purchased one of everything!)

This "full-time" operation for them plus daughter and her husband

began as a a 4H "experiment".

But it has since turned into a significant enterprise.

Pure Maple takes the lead in a small co-op with folks farther

north where a younger generation are turning a family farm

and its acreage from an ag business to maple production.

Barbara gave us the royal treatment with a private session,

showing us (above) the sugar maple leaf, left, and the red maple

leaf, right. Sugar maples provide the best sap for syrup.

 She talked about the traditional methods of drilling into

the maple trunks so that the taps can reach through the bark

to the sapwood where fluids flow, using a hand "bit and brace" drill . . .

. . . with bit diameter around 5/8" that allows 

the tap to be lightly hammered into place.

Here are large and small taps, which are collected after use,

cleaned and re-used many years running. Barbara indicated they

have about 2500 taps in use each season.

Here Barbara shows how more modern methods use

rubber tap lines to form a collection system among

a forest of trees, with sap running into large collection tanks.

This example, below, shows the juncture of multiple tap lines.

Though mechanized to some extent, the operation

and process is still very labor intensive and requires

a lot of overseeing and monitoring to ensure 

optimum collection. New England states have associations

which assist them with outreach and marketing.

Barbara talked about their business focusing on wholesale

accounts for retail outlets, and how Pure Maple is committed

NOT to compete with neighboring operations and farms.

Part of Barbara's fun educational presentation includes

brief discussion of two "critters" that also love the sap.

On the left here is the yellow belly sap sucker, a member

of the wood pecker family. They like to use their strong beaks

to bore their own holes into the bark of the maples at just 

the right time of year where the sap will flow, attract bugs

(who also like the sweetness), and then the birds return to collect

and eat these delicacies which come sugar coated!

Squirrels can seem so cute, but they know how to take advantage

of the collected sap, so they are discouraged any way possible.

Once outside, we took a pic of the educational tree

to show the wood pecker holes.

Using a "cookie" from a tree that had to be cut down,

Barbara showed us the signs from previous years' tapping.

Well within the bark exterior layers, you can see the healed-over

tunnels where the taps once had been placed, 2-3 per tree.

The tree continued to grow, healing over and adding layers

beyond where the taps had entered the previous surface layers

and removed at the end of the sap collecting season.

Barbara recounted how she often has new-comers ask if tapping

HURTS or damages the trees. Her response points out

that it would be folly to damage the source of their income!

Barbara walked us outside to the "sample" tap tree

very near the gift shop, convenient

to assist with the demonstration and teaching.

Here we see the standard collection bucket with its

metal roof, which protects the sap from being diluted

from air moisture condensation or rain/snow fall.

Behind the demo tree she pointed out their "sugar bush" --

(pictured below) or the grove of maple trees which they harvest from.

She noted that because the tubing systems are gravity fed,

and their property slopes away and to the left in this pic,

their collection containers are about as far from the sugar shack

as they can be. They use a tractor to haul them back.

Barbara removed the roof from the demo tree bucket and

seemed a little surprised how full it was, because at 10 a.m.

that morning when we were there, they had already harvested

the sap collected here once already. Inside the bucket is what

appears to be clear water - and when she dipped and poured

a few tablespoons into our mini paper cups, it tasted like

lightly sweetened water. But how fun to experience that!

 Next, we walked to the evaporation "sugar" shack.

Through the open roof, we see the steam escape

as the sap is boiled down. From the smoke stack,

we see the wood smoke drift, a sure sign of the work going 

on inside. The white tanks are where the sap 

had been collected out in the bush then brought here.

Stepping into the shack, we met son-in-law Eric,

whose job was tending to the evaporation.

He monitors the temperature levels of the evap tank,

adds anti-foaming powder as needed,

gathers the loads of pine logs needed to

stoke the oven (Roger's job is splitting logs) . . .

. . . shown here (below) closed up and working hard.

 Eric watches the oven for at least 8 hours each day 

of the season, adding fuel every 3 minutes or so.

The multi-chambered evaporation stove moves the slowly

condensing liquid until it has reached the right consistency,

then it is collected, cooled and taken to the production kitchen,

cleaned, strained, filtered, then prepared for selling in different forms.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.

Pancakes for breakfast will never seem the same!

As the tour ended, we returned and enjoyed ourselves

in the gift shop. Just Maple produces syrup 

(cleaned, strained, filtered) plus maple sugar, candy, 

flavorings, and more. The list of maple products also 

available from other producers is very extensive. 

My favorite purchase did NOT survive

the trip home to be included in this image:

maple sugar coated pecans -- gifts from two trees

from the north and south of this wonderful country.

Our peace of mind and routines have been shaken this week,

but what a pleasure to venture out and enjoy this experience.

My lamp was filled at thoughts of these folks still willing

and interested in this traditional and historic industry

(it is thought to have originated by happy accident in

native cultures), for Barbara's willingness to spend her time

to welcome and enlighten and educate us, 

and for the spirit of cooperation that we got a glimpse at.

So now that you know what is involved in production,

make sure you take one final waffle to wipe up

and enjoy every last drop of syrup on your plate!

Take care and be safe!