May 27, 2013 – Monday – Memorial Day

34 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

As we remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and liberty, may we pause today to honor each. To serve one’s country is a sacrifice. To give one’s life to protect the very Constitution that comes under attack daily is the ultimate sacrifice. God bless the USA. God bless those who serve and have served, those who have died protecting our freedom. God bless America. Amen.

Sargie placed flags in all our flower boxes in remembrance

The kids arrived early Sunday afternoon and we had a good day of talking, messing around in the yard, playing board games, and simply being lazy. Macrea and Mel brought two new games (neither of which I can remember its name) and we laughed through an evening of good natured competition.

Mel

I put the mower back together on Sunday morning and managed to get the yard mowed and most of the large back trail when the machine quit moving. The engine ran fine, but refused to do anything more than barely creep forward. I’m fearful the drive belt either slipped off the pulley or broke. Whatever the reason, everyone pitched in and helped me tow it back to the yard where we pushed it into the bed of the pickup truck. I’ll take the mower in to be fixed tomorrow. After downloading the shop manual, I’m convinced I’m better off letting someone who knows what they are doing fix it.

Macrea announced he was taking us all out for dinner last night. We ended up eating in Iron River. Mr. T’s (where Mark and Sheri, Sargie and I, dined Saturday evening) had a lasagna special. We ate until we thought we’d bust, then stopped by McDonalds later for 49 cent ice cream cones. The perfect meal!

Macrea and Sargie

Brutus has been acting like a four-year-old kid who is having his first birthday party. He’s been all over the place, up on the couch, into the driver’s seat of the car when first opened, etc. He’s taken a real fancy to Mel and last night, absolutely refused to leave her alone. He’d bring a toy and drop it into her lap while we were sitting at the table. If she ignored him, he’d shove her with his nose and in general, be a pain.

I think the pup was jealous that he wasn’t the center of attention; so finally, he got all of mine, undivided and whole-hearted. We’re together, just the two of us, during the days, and I sometimes forget he’s a young dog… and just that, a dog. I talk to him like he’s human, he’s well behaved when we're alone, and does almost anything I ask of him. We’re going to have to work on his manners when someone other than Sargie is around. I can be more stubborn than this bulldog of mine and am the alpha male of the Pentoga pack.

We all travel to Milligan’s Mountain today for a family gathering. Sargie purchased flowers to place in the cemetery. The weather’s to be nice, warm, and no doubt, there’ll be lots of talking and laughing around a table heaped with summer-type food.

The kids will head back to Marquette today. The forecast is for warm and wet conditions all week. I hope to start planting garden in earnest, possibly as soon as this evening. The turnips are up and I noticed where the peas are beginning to poke through. With all the raised beds ready, it’s time to sow seed!

My goal for this summer? Rather than plant so many pumpkins, I’m going for a few giants. There are already Atlantic Dill Pumpkin plants growing in the greenhouse that will be placed into the ground later today. My aim is to produce at least one two-hundred pound (hopefully bigger, but I’m starting small) pumpkin. Can I do it? Stay tuned.

And with that, it’s time to take a stroll through the garden, possibly pluck a weed,  and see what else popped up overnight. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

Macrea attacking his mother's weakest spot... her funny bone.