Whoa! I'm scared. Grandbabies, Abigail and Coleman, via Skype from Maine, just before heading out the door to Trick or Treat on Wednesday evening.

November 1, 2012 – Thursday

27 degrees – clear/calm/frosty

Pentoga Road

We made it through Halloween in good shape last night. When one lives on Pentoga Road, population eight, (in a three-mile-stretch) he doesn’t have to be too concerned about hoards of goblins and ghouls lined up out to the street, arms outstretched holding open pillowcases begging for candy. Still, it was reassuring to have the dish of sweets, mostly miniature Butterfinger candy bars, at hand just in case… so now that no munchkins knocked on our front door, I’ll have to eat them. Life’s not always fair.

I accompanied Sargie back to Iron Mountain early Wednesday, picked the Blazer up from where it was left the night before, and drove over to her former house to begin making trips to Goodwill. FOUR loads later, the garage was empty.

My biggest challenge of the morning was to fit a queen-sized mattress into the small SUV. I won’t repeat the words that were muttered, but I’m proud of the engineering feet that was accomplished. Who says square pegs don’t fit into round holes… or vice versa.  The kid who helped me unload the Goodwill booty said he’d seen a lot of loads brought into the store during his tenure, but he’d never witnessed a queen-sized mattress shoved into a Blazer. The boy-man even compared it to a ship being built inside a bottle. When he asked how I managed to fit it in, I simply told him that true craftsmen never divulge their trade secrets.

Finally, the door of the house in Vulcan, MI, is closed for the final time.  Le déplacement est terminé. The move is finished.

Sargie and I enjoyed burgers from Wendy’s over the noon hour. Her day was going well and she was happy in the knowledge she’d be finished at 5 PM, early by Vision Center standards.

I arrived home around 2 and began work on the tailgate for the truck. Using a Sharpie marker was frustrating as I wanted it to fit perfectly. Which part of a quarter-inch line do I cut along, the inside, outside, or straight down the middle? Still, it came out fine and fits just right. As my brother-in-law says, “This dawg’ll hunt.”

I know, eat your heart out. Only a few are chosen to drive a Man Truck on life's highways.

Luke called, asking if I might turn on the computer. I had the most enjoyable few minutes with grandchildren, Abigail and Coleman, just before they ran out the door to go trick or treating. Coleman was a scary Transformer; Abba the most beautiful witch I’ve ever seen. I love being a grandpa. Thank God for Skype and video conferencing. Thank God for my grandbabies.

I read assignments last night and managed to write a test and have it uploaded for the class’s enjoyment. It will soon be time to begin reading final projects. The semester has flown by.

I’m going to try out the new tailgate and make a dump run today. Its time to divest the six garbage cans of this past summer’s non-burnables before the dead of winter arrives. After, I want to resume cutting and chipping the popple trees. Somewhere in the mix, I’d like to sneak in my five-mile walk.  Someday, I have to get into town to get a load of wood from Yooper Mark’s plant and grab a haircut from Barber Bob. A man’s work is never done.

It’s promising to be a nice day. Time to get ready to greet it properly.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road… 

Our good friend and Sargie's coworker, Michelle, dressed on Halloween as a.... Whoopie Cushion?!?!?