The sweet treat from a beautiful tree
We’ll soon be hitting maple syrup time in Michigan and I can’t wait.
No, I don’t want to go slogging through the woods emptying pails — been there and done that. But I do love the output of this rite of spring.
For years we went to a friends “sugaring” party and it was great fun, but now I’ve reached the age where spending a day trekking in the snow, emptying buckets of sap (40 gallons of sap to a gallon of syrup) and helping tend the fire under the pots holds less appeal than it once did.
Still I’m grateful to live in a state that produces a great deal of maple syrup since that is one of the products that may be affected by tariffs imposed by Canada. For those who don’t live in a syrup producing state this means even higher prices for this prized commodity.
But enough with the political issues. What I do miss about those sugaring parties is being outside, hearing the world coming alive again as the birds are singing their spring songs and every so often you can see a spot of green poking out from the snow.
Spring, with its promise of a world of rebirth, is one of my favorite seasons. As I listen to the birds chirping I think about the coming days when gardens begin to awake and time in the garden means being careful not to disturb overwintering pollinators.
Rushing spring is never a good idea. Instead I think I’ll curl up with a book on the couch and look through my recipes for great ways to use maple syrup like this one for Chewy Maple Cookies.
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
