One of my favorite childhood stories is about a brother and sister who went to spend a week with their aunt, uncle and cousins on their farm where they were in the process of collecting maple sap and boiling it into syrup.

Each morning, the little girl woke up with the expectation of pancakes drowning in all that gooey goodness, and each morning she would instead stare down at a bowl of oatmeal or plate of fried eggs. Flipping the pages, I was starting to get impatient with the situation as well. But finally, on the last morning of their stay, the girl pulled back the blankets and detected the smell of pancakes, racing to get to the table and dig in.

I thought of that story as I read Lori Rypka’s assignment for the spring issue of Elegant Living.

Although New England seems to have the bragging rights to maple syrup, we still can hold up our heads. She describes the tree-tapping process as well as informing readers of a sugaring event in Cunningham Falls State Park near Thurmont. Organizers also will have a pancake and sausage breakfast available.

The Artist In Residence, Virginia Rose Kane, is a natural for the spring edition. With an X-ACTO knife and papers — stamps, maps, music paper and even obsolete money — she creates a garden of flowers. Be sure and read Lauren LaRocca’s story on this artist who was a student of botany.

Susan Guynn’s assignment should have everyone humming a tune. She talked to John Slezak, former public school music teacher, about his role as band director for the Spires Brass Band, a Frederick tradition. This band is fashioned after a traditional British style brass band without trumpets or French horns.

Susan also took the assignment to see what’s available for local brides planning a wedding. Tara Franklin, who, along with her mother, owns The Organized Bride, touts her business’ one-stop shopping.

So there you have it — the sap is rising, flowers are in the offing, romance is in the air, and we have a snappy brass band to provide the soundtrack — spring has definitely arrived and after the winter we’ve had, it’s none too soon.

Nancy Luse, Editor