After perfect weather on Friday, Saturday morning has dawned cold and snowy. None-the-less, life and boiling go on.

April 6, 2013 – Saturday morning

28 degrees/snow/wind

Pentoga Road

And just like that… poof… after a gorgeous spring-like day on Friday, winter has once again grabbed our little corner of paradise and is blessing us with several inches of snow driven by strong and gusty winds. Oh well, hopefully, the sap won’t run this afternoon and I’ll have a chance to catch up on boiling.

I don’t usually begin with an advertisement, but I believe in what I’m about to write very strongly…

If you have a few extra dollars… or quite a few… the educational/public access television station that I managed for a number of years, located in Madawaska High School in northern Maine, is having a fund raising event tomorrow, Sunday, from 5 to 8 PM Central Time Zone. You can watch it live at:

http://www.madawaskaschools.org/WOWL/newpage.cfm
or
http://www.madawaskaschools.org/WOWL/telethon.cfm

My good buddy, Vince, Head of Technology, who I taught with during my public school years, called yesterday and asked if I would participate for a few minutes during the telethon. We worked out the particulars so that I’ll be on the air, remotely, sometime during the broadcast from here in the UP. 

I have no idea what I’m going to say, but there’s one thing of which I'm certain; the station, threatened by severe budget cuts, (even though it’s one of the best learning tools in the school) really needs outside support. When I taught Mass Communication in the high school, many of my students commented how it improved their reading and writing skills, how much easier it was for them to talk in front of people, and how in later years, they’ve used what they learned on a daily basis. I also had several students go into the broadcast field.

Though I’ve not been associated with the school or television station for a number of years, I believe strongly in its existence. I’m hoping the readers of Alaska Professor/Penoga Tales will come through and help if possible. And if you can’t… well, sit back and enjoy the broadcast originating from far northern Maine, home of the French Acadians! Merci!

Friday was a mixed bag of goodies. I started the fire under the evaporation pans early and sat outside enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the sap bubble and gurgle.

I needed to go to town to get fuel and pay a mechanic’s bill. Hopping in the Blazer, I turned the key and… nothing. There was nary a click, bell, whistle, or buzz. The battery was completely dead.

The Man Truck was brought out of mothballs and jumper cables attached. A small squeak of power came into the Blazer, but it was quite anemic. Out came the extension cord and battery charger. Leaving the SUV to charge, I hopped in the Man Truck and chugged to town.

I stopped at the mechanic’s and paid the bill for the two front tires on the Kia. We talked for a bit and bidding him goodbye, I got into the Man Truck, turned the key, and… nothing.

Where better to have troubles than at one’s mechanics? Armed with fifteen different electronic gismos, he wired, hooked, clamped, and attached various life support machines to the truck. After several minutes, the original battery of the Man Truck was pronounced permanently deceased. I wasn’t surprised; it’s been dying for a couple of years now, so much so, that I automatically carry the jumper cables in the cab.

I walked away fifteen minutes later the owner of a brand new battery and much poorer. So goes life.

With warm temperatures, large amounts of sun, and no wind, the sap ran freely all day. I alternated my time boiling and gathering water. The day began with four full barrels and ended with the same amount. Even with constant boiling, I could barely keep up.

Yooper Brother Mark stopped out for a couple of hours. We sat around the fire talking, something we haven’t been able to do in a long time. Between the rigors of his work and my activities, it seems we only get to talk in short intervals. Yesterday was much better… we were in no rush and simply talked. Nice.

Due to the inclement weather, Sargie switched with a coworker and is off today. She’ll be working on Sunday instead. This is an inside popcorn and movie day… well, that is, when I’m not running out the door to throw another log on the fire and keep the evaporating pans full. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

Taken Friday morning. What a difference a day makes.