February 18-March 6, 2022

 A few updates for the week:

One young Elder's coat needed some mending so while I had the sewing machine out, I quickly put the hot pads together.  I had previously cut the fabric but using the machine is a major effort, as there is no where to use it except the one table.  I have to time it between eating, studying or whatever else we might be doing at the table.

We finally received the vacuum bags we ordered a month ago (no longer sold in the stores here).  We got the vacuum out and discovered a section of hose is missing; also a wheel on the bottom of the brush attachment.  You must bend over to vacuum, which makes my back ache, or vacuum on your knees, which is John's preferred method.

There's no way I would tolerate this at home.  So why do we do it while on a mission?  It's just one of the many small sacrifices (and I hesitate to even call it a sacrifice) that missionaries make to serve.  Inconvenience is probably a better word; it's never a sacrifice to serve the Lord.  And some of these inconveniences provide us with great entertainment!

The price of gas continues to increase, as I'm sure it must be at home.  Gas in Canada is sold by the liter; there are approximately 4 liters to a gallon.  So at 184.9 per liter, that makes the price $7.40 per gallon.  Gulp.

I had my first haircut  here on Tuesday.  This is what happens when you can't speak the same language.

I said short in the back; she got that part right but continued with the rest of my head.  I don't remember having so little hair.  Oh well, it grows quickly and it does take less time to dry.

We had dinner Wednesday with the former LaSalle ward bishop and his wife.  They live in Kahnawake, which is a Mohawk reservation.  There are no house numbers or street names.  We only had the coordinates but the GPS didn't understand those very well.  We had two phones and the GPS all sending us in different directions.  We finally found their lovely home in a very nice neighborhood.  He does all the cooking and made a delicious Italian meal.  His mother is Italian and they lived in Brooklyn New York while he was growing up.

Saturday was Bishop's storehouse again.  We had a Seniors outing in the afternoon.  We took the metro (all by ourselves this time and didn't get lost once, even switching lines) to the mission office downtown.  We met other couples there and carpooled to a sugar shack.

This place is about a 75 minute drive northwest of Montreal.  We rode with President and Sister Harkness and Elder and Sister Stearman, who are YSA missionaries in Ottawa.  They return home to Arizona in two weeks and I think I was just a little jealous knowing they would have warm weather long before I would!

This is a display of the taps that have been used over the years.  I know nothing about the taps or why certain ones were used but it was kind of interesting to see the changes.

We took a sleigh ride with the owner of the establishment so he could explain the process to us.  I was a little disappointed, as he didn't really explain much but the ride was nice and the scenery beautiful.

The owner of the sleigh/wagon and horses is wearing the big fur hat.  Sister Piepgrass (serves with her husband in Quebec City) is on the left.  Sister Roberts (office couple over the apartments) is on the right.  I believe both couples are from the Calgary area.

The blue hose is connected to all the trees on the farm that are tapped.  A pump continually syphons any liquid collected in the tube and deposits into the vats in the processing room.

I took the pictures as we passed by in the sleigh.  It's kind of difficult to see the taps but they are there, draining into the larger hose.  They leave the taps in the tree for the entire season, which is only 4-5 weeks long.  Above freezing days followed by below freezing nights are the best conditions for sap flow.

Our group filled the one long table.  We soon learned that this event wasn't really about the "sugaring off" but about eating the sugar.  The native eastern Canadians taught us that you must pile all the food onto your plate, then drown everything with maple syrup.  Not bad.

Baked scrambled egg omelet topped with maple cured ham.  Everything is served family style.

Pork and beans and lil' smokies, all made with maple syrup.

Potato chunks fried in maple syrup.  The smaller bowl is pork rinds and bacon chunks; yes to more maple!  So all that goes onto your plate and gets covered with more maple syrup.  I didn't take any photos of dessert - I think I was in a sugar coma by then - we had sugar pie (like pecan pie without the pecans), maple pudding, ice cream with maple syrup and crepes.

After dinner we went next door for "tire sur neige"  or taffy on snow.

The syrup is kept hot, ready to pour onto the benches of snow.  Then you take a popsicle stick and roll the taffy onto it.  Voila!  A tasty little maple sucker.

The brick shack behind the fire is an oven where they bake all the bread they serve with dinner.

Sunday was ward conference and now we know who the Stake Presidency is.  We were taught about the importance of temple attendance, faith, and removing the stumbling blocks that prevent us from doing what we should be doing.  The Stake President concluded with King Benjamin's words from Mosiah 5:15.

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that ye may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all.  Amen."