Molasses Making 2010-Batch 1-Part 2

The Sorghum Juice was on to boil at the Crawford Family Farm, and we had had some Lunch and a taste of the welcome relaxing time. Melanie and I headed home to Butterfly Hill Farm to check on the Chickens. I laid down to rest for a moment before we headed back.

The Skies got Black, Thunder Rumbled, and Clouds chased in various directions. The Storm came with 60 mile per hour Winds, Hail, and heavy Rain. Before we headed back to the Crawford Family Farm and the Molasses Making Site, we checked the Cane. It seemed maybe a little worse than before, but not much. We got back into the Car and wondered what we might find.
The Molasses had just been taken off the Fire and was being ladeled via filter into Stainless Steel Pots. Canopies were a little Askew. Everyone was soaked and full of Story. This is what we heard.

• The 1st clue that a Storm was coming came through the Voice of the Thunder rolling.
• The 2nd came from Bobby, who had just picked up Jodi in Macon and was driving back. He called with a weather report that 60 mile per hour Winds and Hail were on the way.
• The Storm struck about 30 seconds later.
• Canopies were up as per usual. Everybody went to their places almost seamlessly. People were strategically held posts down.
• Richard said they looked like a herd of Musk Ox protecting the Children (and the Molasses) in the Center.
• Jonathan, who is new to making Molasses and descends from generations of eastern seaboard living, reported: "I'm going down with the Ship." His place at the corner took the 1st hit from the Wind. Folks lined up to protect that Northern Edge.
• Hollis ran around anchoring Canopy posts with ropes to Trees and the 4 Wheeler. He, and perhaps others, found more energy than they thought they had.
• The placement of Folks along the permiter of the Canopies meant that many experienced what Hollis called "Niagara Falls" over their heads.
• Somehow, Richard ended up holding down 1 leg of the white Canopy and 1 leg of the blue Canopy, both of whom were of different minds. He and Gerald were teamed, which is a wonderful familiar theme. Gerald held down a leg of the blue Canopy. They watched the Wind pick up and roll that big Wash Tub like a Tumbleweed to places unknown. Gerald said with wisdom and smile of that moment: "We aren't going to do anything about that."
• Jeremy got the Truck for the Kids, Sarah, Deborah and Alexis.
• Because they were out in the Rain most, Jeremy and Hollis were the most soaked.
• Water filled up in pockets on the top of the Canopies. Then, it would dump out on anything and anyone below.
• While it cannot be completely judged because no one was looking at watches, the Storm lasted about 40 minutes. Rain guage showed 8/10s of an inch. Hail was estimaged to be 1 inch.
• Nobody got hurt and the Molasses was fine.
• The big dog Kennel in the back of Hollis Dale's truck went missing for a while. It was found over across the field, the County Highway, and into Aunt Peggy's yard. I think she surely must have stopped it or found some humor in the fact that it stopped there. (Aunt Peggy passed a few years back.) MaLinda brought it back.
• The Wash Tub was retrieved too.
• Some adjustment in the Canopies was quickly made to keep ash from flying above the Molasses.
• One by one, Jeremy filled the Stainless Steel Pots and Bobby loaded them into Hollis' Pick-up just like usual. At this point, you wouldn't know anything had happened.
• Folks stood around the Fire to dry off and get warm.
• It is exquisite to see a group of people come together on a common purpose and succeed.
• The Story in the Jars of this Batch is likely to be the subject of Family Lore and Legend over the Generations ahead. Jonathan, Deborah and Alexis were no longer Newbies; Molasses Making had taken another Family back into the fold.