May 7, 2013 – Tuesday

34 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

I’m sitting here watching the last two ducks lazily swim across Pentoga Lake. The flock of mallards that have been calling it home have mostly left and no doubt, once the giant mud puddle either evaporates or sinks back into the water table, I’ll be out there mowing the grass. I’ve always wanted to live on a remote lake. It was fun while it lasted.

It doesn’t seem as though I accomplished a lot on Monday, although I was busy the entire day. With warm temperatures and sunny skies, I started the laundry early and had the first load hung outside before Brutus and I walked our five miles. I still enjoy hanging clothes on the line and can easily recall how, as a small child, the sheets felt on my face as I ran through them. I also remember the quick pat on the fanny Mom imparted as a result of doing so. It was a price I was willing to pay.

The internet has been going in and out for the past year. I’ve made multiple calls to the provider and they’ve tried various solutions with no positive results. They were back yesterday fixing one thing or the other and within half-an-hour, pronounced the problem cured. It was… until they got about five miles down the road and the signal quit again. Ah, the joys of living in the boonies in the North Country.

I worked most the day in the garden spreading woods chips over black mulch. Though it’s a lot of work now, I shouldn’t have to mow and trim once the task is complete, hopefully by the end of this week. I should be finished with the orchard by day’s end and will start spreading chips around the raised beds in the garden.

Brutus spent half the day tethered under a shade tree on a twenty-foot leash. He decided to go exploring yesterday, not once, but several times. Despite my calls and whistles, he’d pause, look directly at me, then continue like I was invisible. I soon grew tired of playing that game.

What’s funny is the leash is very flimsy and he could easily break it. The poor pooch resigned himself to lying under a shade tree and watching me work.

As a reward for being a good pup, I took him to the lake last night where he swam and repeatedly rescued a tennis ball from the icy depths. I think he was a retriever in his former life as he’d rather be in water than on land. It all works for me… as long as he listens to my commands.

Sargie works late today. I think I’ll get Brutus and we’ll take our five-mile stroll early and be back in time to see Sargie off to the Vision Center. I’ll continue working in the orchard/garden area and hopefully make some real progress.  After all, as we all know, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…