It's maple sugar time again. Being from Cumberland County I remember well the sugar woods in the springtime. The camp with the open roof and the sweet smell in the spring air of maple sap boiling in the big rectangle vats (evaporator pans) with the fire beneath being fed by wood chunks gathered earlier in preparation of this 'sweet' yearly event. The sap, brought to the sugar camp in the backs of horse-drawn wagons, was fed into one end of the long pan to mingle into the already boiling and thickening sap. At the corner of the pan on the other end, was a faucet and regular draws from the boiling sap were made by the attendees to check the thickness of the emerging syrup. Sugaring off day came at the end of the season and that was when the 'townfolks' would walk the path into the sugarwoods to learn about the process of making the syrup, candy and maple sugar. And, to be treated with 'candy' on the snow or watch the sugar farmer beat up a batch of soft, warm maple sugar. Of course with tummys full of sweetness they would most always make a purchase of cans of pure maple syrup to take home and enjoy on morning pancakes or to spread on a slice of fresh homemade bread. The process in the old days of collecting the sweet sap was far different from today's style. It entailed the placing of metal spiles into drilled holes in the maple trees. These spiles had a hook for hanging the buckets which were placed on each tree, sometimes more than one to a tree depending on the size of the tree. All if this was done by foot, walking and later gathering the sap to pour into barrels waiting on a wagon, while patient horses stopped and started at proper intervals. The days were bright and the sun gathered all its strength after its long winter rest in order to allow the trees to let go of this treasured spring pleasure. Little kids , like me at the time, would often scoop up some of the flowing or fast-dripping sap as it had a wonderful sweet taste all on its own. I recall the birchbark containers shaped much like today's wooden strawberry box, that contained the maple sugar or the candy. Even as a kid, I used to marvel at the making of these boxes out of birchbark and how sturdy they were and how convenient. Those were the days when everything got used and creativity was a necessity. Maple sugar madness was a welcomed yearly event that is still carried on today, but in a much different way.

 My latest poetry book with poems gleaned from a number of aspects of life. I call it, picking up the remnants. Here is one poem from Remnants.

REMNANTS

 

We are a trace of what was

A small part of what we were

A leftover from a life of abundance

A remnant of the past

 

We rose from the ashes of life

Smoldering until we could breathe

Advancing into full-fledged humans

Now we are a quantity

 

The best parts of us have been used

A fragment remains with flashbacks

Of memories, told and retold

Until the visions dissipate

 

So, what is left for the remnants

Tossed away in the garbage of life?

Hanging on and trying to be relevant

Or sitting in the sun to feel its power?

 

The likelihood of the matter

Will probably be one of choice

For many remnants with different views

I, for one, like the sun-to-power

 G'day. Yeah, once again, it's been a long time. I've been busy this past fall and winter with song writing. Seems they come in bunches when they come and a whole lot of them came into my dreams and early morning awakenings to write down lyrics and/or to speak or sing lyrics and melody into my phone before I turn over for more sleep. For anyone who isn't familiar with songwriting and producing, it takes a lot of time from those first few words and melody to a finished product ready to be dropped onto the world of music. 

So, not to go into a lot of details, I just wanted to touch base here and let you all have a look at my link over at Soundcloud. I sing a number of my songs and some others are AI voices (those would be the male voices) Some of my songs are more suitable to be sung by the male POV. I keep posting new songs as often as I can work on them. I still have plenty of songs in different forms, some a few verses, others completed but lacking a melody. (Not all songs come with a melody.) Some come in the form of poems and after reading them over and thinking about them, I realize that they might be better off living in the song world. Of course there are some changes that must be made because poems and songs are totally different rhythm and flow. 

So, no more talk about songs for now, I'm still writing poetry and coming up with an idea or two for a new novel, my mind is spewing out so much stuff that I need to organize it all, but I do love it all. 

As for the Artsy side of me, that is totally neglected these days. But one of these days I know I'll get the call to set up the old easel and paint something. (BTW, the painting on top of my page is called, "Woman Alone) 

A Lone Wolf has many jobs to do. And I do wonder what are your jobs? Or better put, what are your inspirations? Your talents? What fun things do all the Lone Wolf's out there like to do in order to keep their sanity? It's a wild world we live in but we are strong soldiers of the planet. Oh, I almost forgot to give you the link to my music.

https://soundcloud.com/carolmarlenesmith

See you around! And, just a reminder, if you come across this page, you can  take a moment to hit FOLLOW. I'd be happy to see you.

A MOMENT IN TIME

  

She was dissolving
In her own tears
A pity party attended
By one
 
A moment in time
To take what road?
To carry on in misery
Or try another path
 
A decision too hard
To make. A giant step
To take. A moment
Would tell the tale
 
Of her life this time forward
This day, this hour, this moment
Yes or no. Which way to go?
Life in the balance, hanging
 
Hoping to do right
But what was that?
This too would pass
There was a path
 
She took a breath
Then heaved forward
Not looking back
Changing, for better or worse

 

Are You a Lone Wolf?

Hello and Welcome! It's been a long time since I've bothered with my Lone Wolf page. Not that I want to neglect it but I've been dealing with illness and now that I have dealt to a point, I am BACK and anxious to renew my blog and carry on. I got to thinking. What is the purpose of this blog except to display my work, my books, poetry and sometimes a song or two? And, I think I have an answer, 

My initial message has been POSITIVE THINKING. And, it still is, however, there is more to my message. But, first I have a question and if you are reading this, I'd like you to take a moment to think about my question and how it might relate to you and to your life. So, the title of my blog, Lone Wolf is not a frivolous title. It was well thought out and applies to me, as it might apply to you as well. In a later post, I will try and explain a bit why I chose such a title. So, yeah, back to the question. Do you relate to being a Lone Wolf and why? If you never thought of this before, PLEASE, take a moment to think about it. What's it mean to you? In life, in family, in your personal journey? LET'S HAVE A DISCUSSION.

 And to start, here is the first poem in my Lone Wolf poetry book. 

 THE LONE WOLF

 She walks alone 

 In darkness lit 

 By moonlight 

 In full delight 

Her den is deep 

Her mind is keen 

Her eyes, clear

Her ears, sharp 

She hunts because 

Of survival 

Her prey is leery 

She’s ever-present 

In day, she travels 

And rests on sun-scorched 

Grass, and dreams of 

Wind and thunder 

 

She relies on no one 

Not animal nor human 

She fears little 

But knows when danger lurks 

Her day is now. Her time 

Has come. Her world to

Explore...for now she

Is the lone wolf

THE DREAM SERIES

Hi Everyone, My five book series, THE DREAM SERIES, is now available in ebook and also paper back editions. The item before on Raging Nightmare is the fifth book in the DREAM SERIES. A family saga from 1930s to 1990s. CHECK IT OUT!