OH, this brings back ,memories, of the the old A&P, and it's huge parking lot, behind the movie theater. The black sparkely floor, i thought it was tar with glitter in it. On Saturday mornings my Dad would take me with him to buy a few things, my Mom always gave him a list....and he always bought a couple Spanish bars and we ate one on the way home.
A&P Spanish Bar Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
¾ cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves, optional
½ cup cut-up raisins
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325F. Cream the shortening,
sugar and egg, blend in molasses and add the boiling water. Sift
together the remaining ingredients except the raisins and stir it into
the egg mixture. Fold in the raisins. Divide the batter equally between
two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake in a 325oF oven for 30 to 40
minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out
clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove them from
the pans and cool .
BBRRRRRRRR OOOPS! this is the right color 4 today, it is cold, mean really cold might even have to put my socks on!! I kid you not.
The Full Worm Moon reaches its peak on the morning of Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 6:38 A.M. ET.
This year’s March Moon is especially notable because it coincides with a
total lunar eclipse. The eclipse reaches its greatest point at 6:33 A.M.ET—just minutes earlier—and during totality, the Moon can take on a coppery red or orange glow.
You
don’t need any special equipment to enjoy this celestial pairing.
Simply step outside and watch as the Full Moon changes color over
several hours. For a detailed explanation of what’s happening in the
sky, see our guide to what happens during a total lunar eclipse.
A Rare Bonus: A Total Lunar Eclipse During March’s Full Moon
During
a total lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow gradually moves across the Full
Moon, causing it to darken and take on a warm, coppery glow—often called
a Blood Moon. This color change happens slowly and can be safely watched with the naked eye.
Read Next
Viewing Notes for March’s Full Moon Eclipse
This lunar eclipse will be visible across much of North America, though what viewers see will vary by location. The Moon enters the penumbra at 3:44 A.M.EST (12:44 A.M.PST) and the umbra at 4:50 A.M.EST (1:50 A.M.PST).
Totality—when the Moon is fully within Earth’s shadow—lasts from 6:04 A.M. to 7:02 A.M.EST, with the greatest eclipse occurring at 6:33 A.M.EST. See our time zone converter.
The Moon leaves the umbra at 8:17 A.M.EST (5:17 A.M.PST) and the penumbra at 9:22 A.M.EST (6:22 A.M.PST).
In eastern regions, totality occurs close to sunrise, while observers
farther west will see the eclipse higher in the pre-dawn sky.
During March’s Full Worm Moon, Earth’s shadow will gradually darken the Moon, creating a red ‘Blood Moon’ effect.
When to See the Full Worm Moon in March 2026
The Full Worm Moon reaches its peak on the morning of Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 6:38 A.M.ET. This year’s March Full Moon is especially notable because it coincides with a total lunar eclipse. The eclipse reaches its greatest point at 6:33 A.M.ET, just minutes before the Full Moon peak, and during totality, the Moon can take on a coppery red or orange glow.
If clouds interfere, try early Tuesday morning again before sunrise, keeping in mind that totality occurs near sunrise in eastern locations.
If conditions are just right and there’s a bit of mist or rain in the air, you may even spot a rare phenomenon called a moonbow—a rainbow created by moonlight instead of sunlight. Moonbows are most likely when the Full Moon is low in the sky. Learn more about moonbows.
This March Moon may also appear especially large near the horizon due to the Moon illusion, which makes the Moon seem bigger when it’s close to buildings, trees, or hills.
Why Is It Called the Worm Moon?
The Full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac
come from a mix of Native American, Colonial American, and European
sources. Traditionally, each name applied to the entire lunar month in
which the Full Moon occurred—not just the night it was full.
March’s
Full Moon has long marked a turning point in the seasonal calendar,
when winter begins to loosen its grip and signs of spring slowly return.
The Surprising Truth Behind the Worm Moon Name
March’s
Full Moon is known as the Worm Moon. For many years, it was believed
this name referred to earthworms appearing as the soil warms in early
spring—drawing birds such as robins and signaling the changing season.
However, historical research suggests another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver
recorded that the name referred to beetle larvae—another type of
“worm”—which emerge from thawing tree bark and winter hiding places at
this time of year.
Either way, the name reflects the same idea: the land is beginning to wake up.
A Seasonal Signal for Gardeners
For
generations, this Full Moon served as a seasonal marker for people who
worked the land. The Worm Moon reflects a time when winter begins to
loosen its hold—when daylight is increasing, snow and ice start to
retreat, and the natural world shows its first subtle signs of change.
Rather
than signaling planting time, this Moon traditionally marked a period
of observation and preparation. It was a cue to watch the landscape,
take stock after winter, and begin planning for the growing season
ahead—even though the ground itself was often still frozen.
Another traditional name for March’s Full Moon is the Sugar Moon
(Ojibwe). In many regions, this is the time when sugar maples are
tapped, and sap buckets begin to fill—an early sign that spring is on
its way, even if snow still covers the ground. Learn how maple sap is turned into syrup.
Alternative Names for the March Full Moon
Many
traditional names for the March Moon reflect the transition from winter
to spring. Some are tied to animal behavior, while others describe
seasonal changes:
Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo): referring to blustery late-winter winds
There
are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition
from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of
certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), while others refer to signs of the season:
The Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.
The Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) refers to the strong, windy days that come at this time of year.
The Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine) highlights the blinding rays of sunlight that reflect off the melting snow of late winter.
An alternative name for March’s Full Moon is the Sugar Moon.
Sugar maples are tapped in late winter; sap buckets gather the sap,
which is later turned into maple syrup!
The sky is so blue and there is a gentle breeze, it's warm enough to comfortably work outside, but there is 5 inches of snow on the ground and more is coming ...... looking at seed catalogs, and filling tiny flower pots with potting soil is just not enough to express my Spring Fever. But this could help.
1970. George Harrison stands at the gates of Friar Park, staring at what everyone else calls a catastrophe.
The Victorian mansion is rotting. Grass pushes through floorboards inside. The estate's gardens, once the pride of England, have gone feral. Collapsed greenhouses. Buried grottoes. Pathways strangled by decades of neglect.
He's 27 years old. The Beatles just ended. He could go anywhere, do anything. The world is waiting for his next move.
He buys the wreck and decides to dig in the dirt.
Not as a weekend hobby. As a life. He hires ten gardeners and works alongside them, dawn to midnight, covered in soil. His sister-in-law takes one look at the estate and asks what he's thinking. George doesn't try to explain. He just keeps digging.
His son Dhani grows up watching his father work by moonlight, squinting in the shadows because darkness hides the imperfections that would bother him during the day. The music industry keeps calling. They want albums. Tours. More of George Harrison the Beatle.
He wants to plant trees.
Friar Park isn't just a garden. It's an eccentric's fever dream from the 1890s. Caves. Underground tunnels. A four-acre Alpine rock garden with a scale Matterhorn on top. Garden gnomes everywhere. He photographs himself among them for All Things Must Pass, then goes back to pruning.
When a nurseryman mentions slow sales, George buys one of everything in the shop. When someone offers 800 varieties of maples, he takes them all. His wife Olivia remembers him saying, "It's not my garden, Liv." He sees himself as a custodian. The garden doesn't belong to him. He belongs to it.
By 1980, he publishes his autobiography and dedicates it "to gardeners everywhere." He writes that he's simple. Doesn't want the business full-time. He's a gardener. He plants flowers and watches them grow.
Journalists visit and call it un-rock-star-ish. George doesn't flinch. He'd lived through Beatlemania, screamed into stadiums, changed culture. He found it hollow compared to restoring topiary.
After John Lennon's murder, the gates lock forever. George and Olivia keep working. Not for visitors. For the work itself.
He dies in 2001. The gardens are now considered masterpieces of Victorian landscaping. Olivia still tends them at Friar Park. The estate stays private.
George Harrison chose dirt under his fingernails over applause. And in that choice, he found something the stadiums never gave him. Freedom.
THIS HAS BEEN A COLD AND SNOWY WINTER, MUCH LIKE THOSE I REMEMBER FROM CHILDHOOD. ANOTHER CHILDHOOD MEMORY WAS THE SUNDAY DRIVE TO BUY MAPLE SYRUP AT A "SUGARHOUSE", THEY WEREN'T HARD TO FIND, BUT THE DRIVE ON UNTENDED BACKWOODS DIRT ROADS, COULD BE A REAL ADVENTURE. MAPLE SYRUP, REAL MAPLE SYRUP, NOT THE STUFF FROM 'THE MARKET
IS FLAVORLESS, WAS WORTH IT.
A PLATE OF FRESHLY HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS, KNOWING THAT A MAJOR SNOWFALL WAS IS FORECAST FOR TO NIGHT, WELL THAT WAS ENOUGH, OFF WE WENT TO FIND A "SUGARHOUSE". IF THERE WERE ANY STILL IN THIS AREA.
SUNSET COMES AT ALMOST 6pm NOW, A GOOD THING BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN WE SPOTTED THE BILLOWING CLOUDS OF STEAM CAME FROM A BUILDING THAT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS AN OLD TYME MOTORCYCLE GARAGE, WHICH WAS ONCE. THE SUGERER EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS FOR A VERY LONG TIME AGO, BUILT IN THE 1920'S!
FIXING IT UP AND MAKING SYRUP P WAS HIS DREAM FOR THE SMALL FARM IT WAS BUILT ON. WE BOUGHT SOME MAPLES SUGAR, AND SOME REALLY STICKY MAPLE CANDY, AND A FINE MASON JAR FILLED TO THE TOP WITH DARK MAPLE SYRUP. BY THE TIME THE SUN HAD SET AND NIGHT WAS TAKING OVER WE WERE WELL ON OUR WAY HOME, WHEN THE FIRST FLAKES BEGAN TO DRIFT DOWN.
A SNOW FLAKE HERE AND A SNOWFLAKE HERE SPARKLED IN THEN HEADLIGHTS. IT WAS GOOD TO GET HOME, GOOD TO FEEL THE WARMTH OF THE OLD COAL STOVE AND GOOD TO ENJOY A FRESH English MUFFIN, WITH FRESH MAPLE SYRUP AND SOME NEW MEMORIES.
The old sugarhouse still sits peacefully
in the woods, its joints creaking with the wind, its wood slowly
decaying as young maple trees grow up around it. The first picture was
taken in the 1960's and the second picture was taken last week.
The sugarhouse was built by Harvey’s
father, Wilfrid. He bought the land it sits on in 1941. The property was
a very old farm with various outbuildings that were in disrepair. The
sugarhouse was built shortly after Wilfrid purchased the land with
lumber that was salvaged from the old buildings.
Wilfrid started out with buckets, a wood
fired arch, and no electricity. He gathered the sap with two sturdy
work horses that followed voice commands. Several local workers helped
Wilfrid with sugaring, but two men, Richard “Keiser” Elkins & Cat
Lumbra were his main help. Keiser & Cat were known as tough,
hard-working men. Anyone trying to keep up with them for the day had
their work cut out for them. Keiser was the person who would issue the
commands to the work horses during gathering times.
Boiling was an art and a science during
this time (as it still is today). The time to draw-off the perfect syrup
was gauged by holding up a scoop of hot syrup and having it drip off
the scoop. When the syrup was ready it would fall off the scoop in
sheets just the right way. It took a lot of experience to judge this
exact moment.
Wilfrid married Bea in 1945. Bea joined in helping
with the maple business. Bea would cook meals for the men and help with
cleaning the sap filters. The sap filters were washed in the cold brook
next to the sugar house to remove any niter and then they were finished
washing with an old wringer washer to complete the job. Niter is a
suspension of minerals and other solids that precipitate out of the sap
during the boiling process.
The family time in the sugar house
was the best time. Boiling eggs and hot dogs in the sap, serving hearty
hot meals after a long day gathering sap, family visiting from New York
& Canada, and cousins playing hide & seek in the woods.
Springtime in northern Vermont was a celebration of the end of the very
long, cold winter and the promise of warm sunny days to come.
Wilfred was an early adopter of sugaring
technology. In the mid 1960’s the Chaffee’s began using plastic bags for
collecting sap instead of buckets. These bags were hung on the spout
that was attached to the tree and were pear shaped. They had a narrow
neck and bulb shaped bottom. There was a problem with these bags. When
the sap would freeze in the bags you couldn’t get the sap out through
the narrow neck. Latter that decade the Chaffees added tubing,
electricity, a vacuum system, and an oil burning arch. In 1965 Wilfrid
was honored by being named Sugar Maker of the Year. The sugarhouse was
last used in the early 1970's. Today Harvey and Lisa have their house on
this hallowed property.
A lot has changed in sugaring in the last
80 years since this sugarhouse was built, but a lot has stayed the
same. The thrill of that first run of sap, the sweet smell of steam
filling the sugarhouse, the taste of syrup fresh off the evaporator, the
first daffodil sprouts poking their heads through the spring snow, and
finally the sound of spring peepers in the pond, signaling the end of
sugaring is getting near. Sugaring still connects us with the rhythm of
the seasons. We think Wilfrid and Bea would be proud knowing we at
Barred Woods are carrying on the sugaring tradition.
One day I asked AI to make an image of my grandparents house, as i have none. My readers night have noted these are the images that are part of my last years Thanksgiving post. While not exactly like the house or the kitchen, they are strikingly close. So my idea was made to use them in posts for recipes. And some recipes will be new-er like this one which a friend's son brought home from shop class, shop class???
Shop class Star crunch cookies!
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2c caramel ships
4c mini marshmallows
4Tbsp butter
#c. Rice Crispies {any brand}
-line a baking sheet with a silicone mat of parchment paper
-in a microwave safe bowl, microwave in 30 second intervals until they can be stirred into a smooth consistency
-add marshmallows to bowl of melted chips and butter stir well and microwave for about 45 sec, you may need to microwave them for longer, stir until smooth
-stir in rice crispiest, mix until well combined, then allow to cool for a few minutes
-use a small scoop sprayed with no-stick spray, also spray your hands, scoop up some of the mixture and roll it into a ball, flatten into a patty shape and place on mat or parchment paper to cool and harden.
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Herbs That Root in Water — But Prefer Soil Later
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Essential Care Tips
