Even buying maple syrup is different now...

This picture was taken last week, April 3 2007, chust a coubla miles down the ro-ad once from my Mom and Dad's place. Every spring these guys head down from their neck of the woods to sell us car driving wastoids some good maple syrup, which they made by draining sap from the trees then spending days in the sugar shack, boiling it down into the nectar of the gods that they sell to us in 1 Litre jugs. Oh yes. This is how I know it's spring even though it doesn't look like it yet.

Take a minute to soak this picture in!!!! (click and enlarge- it's a little blurry but you can see the harness hanging off the rearview mirror!)
-notice the close proximity of the highway, just in case you get a time warp feeling
-see the horse with his blanket on. There are two but one was tied further down the fence. Notice how the horse is tied long enough to graze. That's totally against Canadian Equestrian Federation guidelines, but oddly, these Mennonite horses never get tangled up in their ropes and yet apparently those stupid riding horses do all the time, therefore necessitating a rule. Hmm..
-do you love this dude's buggy????? I LOVE THAT BUGGY. And I want one. I wonder if it would look weird with a team of Appaloosas pulling it???

I believe this guy is Old Order Mennonite as opposed to Old Order Amish but don't quote me on that because I could be wrong. I've been Mennonite all my life (the car driving, Dukes of Hazzard watching kind) but I still can't describe the differences.

So why am I showing you this picture, other than me just loving it?

Jethro pulled the Jetta over to the gravel and scooted across the road to buy some maple syrup. He had to.

But I also have to tell you about what was in the mailbox yesterday.

The Tuesday edition of the Sprawlville Reporter had a full page picture of him, with the headline, "HIS JUNO MOMENT" and there he is, in all of his long haired, long English faced, black suit wearing glory, the little glass and chrome award on the podium beside him, and one hand pointing out into the audience. He's got a little smirk on his face and actually doesn't look exhausted in that shot.

So when he gets home last night at midnight, he finds the paper where I left in the living room. In the bedroom I listened for his reaction. What did I hear?

SHAAAARON!

I giggled so hard it's amazing the kids didn't wake up.

Yes that's right folks, I am married to the Ozzy Osbourne version of "small town boy does good".

And the emails and cards and phone calls keep pouring in. As much as I love it, it's gotten kind of overwhelming. But I might have withdrawal when it all slows and things go back to normal.

Then I wonder...will life ever be "back to normal" especially since I'm not a big believer in normal anyways? He is the same guy now as he was two months ago; he's the guy before the award, because that guy is the one who earned the award.



But fresh off the airplane last week, everything still felt shifted and new. After paying the Old Order dude, who must be Mennonite because he's beardless and the marrying age Amish have beards, Jethro grabbed his big jug o maple syrup and ran across the road, dodging the afternoon traffic of farmers on their way home from their town jobs, which they keep to support their farming habit. He was grinning wildly.

"I can see it now," he snorted, "JUNO AWARD WINNING RECORDING ENGINEER KILLED IN TRAFFIC MISHAP AFTER BUYING MAPLE SYRUP."

He set his Juno award winning butt into the seat and drove us home...