Monologue by Jordyn Cowles

Setting: sugarbush

Time: now

Character: Richard

A reporter comes up to Richard and asks him “What is a sugarbush, and how did you start

yours?”

The sugarbush, is a place that is common to find in Vermont because Vermont is the

state where most syrup is created. Mine started off small, way back when my father was in his 20’s or 30’s. He didn’t have many taps, but when I had to take over the sugarbush, I wanted to build it bigger and better. We started off with around 3-5000 taps and now we are up to about 15000 taps. I started building bigger around the time Deana and her kids moved into my house, which was about 2-3 years ago. I usually have the kids help me when I need it. They are a really big help and I probably wouldn’t be where I am today without them. I probably should take a break from the sugarbush sometime soon, it distracts me from doing things around the house that should be done and fixed.

It all started off with cutting down trees. My sugarbush has extended to about the whole side of the mountain, which is big. Everyday we stack wood or put up lines. I’ve cut down just about every tree except for the maple trees. Each year more and more wood is cut for the winter. They are all 3ft logs and sometimes can be very heavy. We have enough wood for about 3 winters. That, I’m not sure of though because of the increase in taps we might need more wood than we needed before. I bought an R.O. recently that helps regulate the water, I bought more sap tanks, and a lot of other things. Pretty soon I am going to build a new sugar house and its going to have guest bedrooms and an ice cream shop. Its going to be visible from the road instead of secluded in the woods.

I have been threw alot. Starting with the passing of my father. His death ruined me, my father meant so much to me and it’s been hard without him. The way he died, I just knew he wanted to go. I found him underneath a bucket in the woods. If he didn’t groan I would of never of found him. I’m not going to take down what he built, the old sugar house is going to stay up to show people how it first began. There’s a lot of pressure on me now because I have to get the sugar bush ready for fall and winter. A lot of labor has gone into it. My worker Derrek has been working for me for a long time and without him the sugarbush wouldn’t be where it is today. My success can’t be done by myself. Once everything is done and I don’t need to buy anything else, I will be making a profit.

#monologue