The Three Dollars

Wonder which one is the Red Hat Queen?

Dad

Grandma had three sons and one daughter
All three sons went to war and two came home
Dad never complained but we all knew

Dad cut poplar and aspen logs
We helped to strip and mark them with a H
Then Mr. Hindman came by to buy them

Dad was always on the go
He worked in the bush
He knew how to use the cross-cut saw
He knew how to sharpen the chain
He'd file and file

He knew he had five girls and five boys to raise
He walked to work
Over the hard snow he would go across the field
He would wash the floors
He would shine the floors
At Valentine's day the kids had their own
Special Valentine

Dad and his cousins and friends
Would work the bush each spring
They would carry the sap
They would boil all day and night
Mom would have a chart on the way
Bottles she saved over the year would get filled
The first of the spring syrup was a treat
The family came first
Sometimes the community came first
Everyone waited for the maple syrup feast

Sweetness

Feeling the fresh wind
Seeing the star world
Time is coming soon
To start the work

Boil the water, clean the pails
Get the taps and get your drill
It used to be a hand-drill
I forget the exact size
My daughter uses a power-drill
Hang up the pails
Watch the weather

Ok the sun came out
The nights are cold
Wow! this will make the sap run

Gentleness

The trees are dancing in the wind
Just swaying to and fro
All dance in unison

In the fast wind, the trees blow
A howling sound vibrates through
You know it's windy
If the trees get louder

It's comforting that the trees
are there
You think they are protecting
Soon they will be ready again
The winter starts to go
Then the sign of spring
All of a sudden the robins are outside
Soon the maple sap will run