Auntie Sargie and little Brielle on her first Christmas

December 26, 2012 – Wednesday morning

5:52 AM

Pentoga Road

And just like that, Christmas has come and gone. Just think, in the past week, we survived the end of the world, celebrated the birth of our Savior, and now we set our sights on a new year that is but a mere six days away.

It’s chilly on the other side of our windows this morning. A rather robust -7 is registering on the thermometer and it appears as though the temperature will sink another degree or two before the warmth of today’s sun can fully be realized. I’m grateful for the cold. Last night’s dip should ensure that the weaker spots of the area lakes will be safe to walk upon. It also will make this year’s sugar maple sap run harder when the time arrives. Given the time of year, cold is a good thing.

Christmas Eve was fun. Sargie hustled around finishing wrapping the presents and I bravely donned my heavies and set out on the local lake in search of meat for the table.

Grandpa Ross dining with those who were MOST excited at the Milligan Christmas Eve gathering.

I am coming closer to mastering the use of the fish finder Luke gave me. There’s a learning curve to the thing.

I discovered I’ve been using it as a gauge to determine when I should set the hook for a strike. That simply doesn’t work. I either pull too quickly or late. I found that if I use it as a guide to alert me when fish are gathered around my bait, then pay attention solely to the tiny cork bobber attached to my line, I have better results. Christmas Eve’s trip onto the ice resulted in a couple of nice bluegill, another northern, and an undersized small mouth bass.

My bait is at 12 feet. There's a fish swimming up from underneath at 15 feet.

I came back home shortly after noon. Macrea had arrived and was wrapping presents. Sargie had ventured into town to run a couple of errands and reported that the stores were filled with last-minute shoppers.

We left late in the afternoon for Auntie Trish’s and Uncle Donnie’s who were hosting this year’s Milligan Christmas Eve gathering. Trish is one of those who is really handy and Donnie’s a carpenter. With that in mind, I’ll simply say their home is beautiful. Trish had it decorated for the holiday season and there was lots of room for everyone to spread out and talk.

I spent much of the evening with Sargie’s brother, Pat, sitting around a card table in Donnie’s heated shop. We could talk with those who walked in and yet were out of the main fray.

Donnie built a gun cabinet out of a large cedar log. He, literally, had hollowed one out using a combination of a chain saw and chisel and when finished, stood the thing up on end. If/when I find a log large enough, I’m going to try to do the same. Our home isn’t big enough to house such a beast, but that’s okay, making and carving it would be the challenge. Luke has a lot of guns and large house.

There was food as far as the eye could see and then some. My personal favorite was sister-in-law Debbie’s stuffed mushrooms. I probably ate an enchanted forest’s worth and honestly, had I been able to shove a few in my pockets to bring home, I would have. But all the food was delicious. From the ham sandwiches to the cheesy potatoes, with all the olives, crackers, pistachio bars, Uncle Donnie's homemade bread (oh yes, the boy also bakes in his spare time) and Little Smokey’s in between, we ate like royalty.

The clock was showing 11 PM when we hugged and kissed everyone goodbye to make our way home.

Marley, four years gold, (far right) is telling anyone and everyone, almost pleading, why she needed to go home early. Daddy had earlier looked on the computer and reported that Santa was already in Canada and heading this way. Marley wanted to make sure she was in bed before Santa arrived.

Santa came sometime during the wee hours of Tuesday morning. The clock showing 1:30 AM when our heads finally hit the pillows, we slept in and took our time in greeting the day. Sons Andy, Matt, and Luke, called first thing and I called Mom to wish her a Merry Christmas. Yooper Brother Mark and I exchanged hearty holiday wishes and I wished happy birthday to Sheri, who has the fortune (or misfortune) of sharing her special day with Jesus.

Santa treated us well. I received some great clothes, a trapping DVD, (and how I need it) a new contractor’s grade SKILL circular saw, among other goodies that were just as wonderful.

Oh yes, even my tootsies bleed green and gold for the Packers. Thanks, Mom!

Sargie did well herself. Santa had left her sweaters and scents, other clothes, and somewhere in the mix under the tree, were a string of pearls.

Macrea and Sargie... opening gifts

Macrea left to have Christmas with his father late morning. We soon departed for Holly and Ross’s home in Iron Mountain.

Once again, there was enough food to feed the starving third world countries. Most of the men gathered in a heated gazebo outside to watch a basketball game. Ross, Boyd, and I, got into a conversation about the Packers of old and the first Super Bowls. Names like Ray Nitchke, Jerry Kramer, and Jimmy Taylor, popped up, and for a while, each of us was transported fifty years back in time when those players, and other Green Bay super stars, were household names.

The afternoon culminated in a huge game of Trivial Pursuit. With participants seated around a large dining room table and others standing close behind, it was a thrilling, chilling, race to the finish. The noise was great, the cheering more so. One would have thought the victors’ prize was a million dollars. I’m not sure who won and in the end, no one seemed to care. Everyone was a winner. The Mighty Milligan’s had once again celebrated the most special of days together as a family.

We stopped to see Mr. Milligan at the VA last night. Dressed in red and white, with his white hair, smiles, and chuckles, he looked like Father Christmas. Sister Jeanne was also there and we all talked and gabbed for over an hour.

It’s back to the Vision Center for Sargie today. After three holiday-filled days away, she didn’t appear to be the most eager girl when I awakened her this morning.

I need to visit the local bait shop and see my friend, Gloria, catch up on the latest scuttlebutt in fishing, and purchase some more minnows and wax worms to aid in my quest to catch the wily bluegill.

The Clam on the ice on Christmas Eve

It’s time to end this and get it all uploaded. I’ve got wood to bring inside, a load of laundry to throw in the washer, and line to change on one tip-up in preparation for going fishing. A man’s work is never done you know.

So are the tales of Pentoga Road…