A Baltimore Oriole sitting in a wild cherry tree

June 22, 2013 – Saturday

61 degrees/cloudy/calm/fog

Pentoga Road

Whew, one could cut the humidity with a dull butter knife this morning. It’s sticky and with a forecast high of 80 degrees, there’ll be no small amount of sweat expended this afternoon.

We received almost an inch of rain over the past 36 hours, precipitation we badly needed. There’s a 50% chance for more each day this coming week. Let ‘er rain.

With the wet stuff pounding down on Saturday morning, I suggested we take a ride over to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, a beautiful community about an hour away. Rhinelander and Iron Mountain are almost identical in size, around 7,500 residents, but when it comes to shopping, they have something Iron Mountain doesn’t, a Kohl’s Department Store. I didn’t have to make the suggestion twice.

I hung in with Sargie until my heart migrated to my left knee then I found a bench or chair or was content to sit in the car while she shopped the clearance racks high and low. On his best day, one needs to be in good shape to keep up with Sargie so I was happy to step off to the side so as not to impede her progress. Kohl’s, JC Penny’s, it made no difference. She was on the trail of bargains.

We stopped at Menards Lumber on the way out of town where we purchased a couple of push brooms for the garage and barn. No excuses now for having dirty floors!

Sargie reminds me of Edith Ann, a character played by Lily Tomlin, many years ago.

Definitely some resemblance there!

Brutus met us as we pulled into the drive and we spent the next hour playing fetch. He was happy to get rid of some excess energy and I noticed he had no trouble sleeping last night. As I tossed and turned the night through, I heard his grunts, snores, and the other noises a bulldog makes when slumbering on the floor at the foot of our bed. Brutus spent much of the evening chomping on a big o' cow bone we'd purchased as a treat.

Sargie busied herself last night transplanting the last of the summer flowers into a teacup-type container and flower beds. With the humidity high and the mosquitoes thick, we finally called it a day.

Last night was spent watching television as I struggled to keep my eyes open. I learned some new survival methods from Les Stroud, the Survivor Man, while dozing.

Sargie works early today. I need to go into town first thing then hope to spend the rest of Saturday working in the barn, getting things arranged. The yard could use a good mowing one last time before Monday arrives and of course, the garden always needs attention.

I don't know what it is, but the flower growing in the perennial bed is delicate and very pretty.

A man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

The first strawberry of the year. Sargie pronounced it delicious. Most should be coming on in the next week to ten days.