A backyard is the greatest escape!
Maple News
August is traditionally a slow-news month for maple, and 2021 does not dissapoint. (Or rather, it does . . .) Quebec producers have announced that they are adding 7 million new taps next year instead of 3 million. And the first-ever new maple product development lab opened; it’s housed at Cornell University in New York, where the Cooperative Extension is also looking into pests—like moths, cicadas, and spotted lantern flies—that bug the sugar woods.
In closing, maple is one of the 20 fall wedding favors your guests will actually want. But don’t invite Jennifer Aniston; she limits her maple syrup intake. (We told you maple news was slow.)
Backyard News
August is a glorious time in the backyard, though! And not a moment too soon, as it appears that we may be, once again, trending a bit homebound. Might be a good time to plan an idyllic backyard dinner with friends, create a secret garden, grow berries in containers, cultivate a backyard prairie, or find the perfect backyard greenhouse.
It’s a good season for getting to know your neighbors over the fence, even when there is a 90 year age gap. For fermenting your compost. For entering a backyard nature photo contest. Get interested in moths! Get interested in owls! Get interested in rabbits. Throw a putting green in the backyard while the grass is green. Or, if in doubt, dig a hole! Someone recently found the worlds largest sapphire cluster there!