August 24, 2013 – Saturday morning

54 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

I’m running a bit late this morning. Coaching the Packers from my recliner tired me out last night. Though we lost in the end, there were a few signs of improvement. Green Bay has their work cut out for them if they hope to be in the Super Bowl at the end of the season. There’re a lot of good teams in the NFL this year.

I spent most of Friday morning working on Brutus’s doghouse and finally got the roof framed in. It’s been a challenge; first how to construct it so the interior can be cleaned, then, how to get the rafters completely level. I solved that problem by taking everything apart and installing a ridgepole.

I had just begun the garage (Brutus’s entrance) when I ran out of lumber. It was time to quit anyway. My eyes were shot and patience beginning to grow thin.

I went into town to deliver the Packer cheese head I’d gotten in Green Bay for Brother Yooper Mark’s friend in Kentucky. We had a nice visit and got caught up on a bit of news and gossip.

I came home and hopped on the mower. It’s not really growing that much anymore and I think the mowing season is coming to a close. I didn’t crop the trails or meadows; they really didn’t need it.

Brutus has needed a bath for the past few days. Yesterday he got two. The first removed the outer layer of “dog”, the second got him fluffy and white… as fluffy as a bulldog can get. We played a hardcore game of fetch between the two washings and I found if I let him chew on his ball while giving him a bath, really a shower using the garden hose, he’ll sit quietly and let me lather and scrub him until he shines.

Being scrubbed twice, with a game of fetch between the washings, was tiring.

The rugs were vacuumed and hardwood floors swept. The most cumbersome task was vacuuming the steps going upstairs. I thought everything looked pretty good by the time I was finished, but Sargie will, no doubt, go over everything again to get those places I missed.

Speaking of Sargie, my favorite optician in the world was home early last night and we enjoyed a supper of left over chicken, creamed cucumbers, green beans, and potato salad. I watched the Packer’s game while Sargie did her thing. Andy and I texted back and forth during the game… if only the Packer’s coaching staff would listen to us! I’m not a very good backseat driver. I doubt I’d make much of a coach either.

A moment of frustration during the game. If only they'd listen to me...

Sargie’s off the next two days. We’ll be heading to Iron Mountain to have supper with Mr. Milligan later this afternoon. I’ll go to Home Depot and hopefully, purchase what I need to finish Brutus’s doghouse. I want to begin landscaping along the drive north of the drive, towards the woods, today. By the time I’m finished, sometime this fall, I hope to have it terraced, all the rocks (and boulders) removed, some good dirt hauled in, and install a picket fence. Today’s task will be using the frontend loader to remove some boulders and large rocks.

Whoops, Yooper Brother Mark just called. We're installing the new bathroom window today. The landscaping will have to wait until tomorrow.

After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales of Pentoga Road…

The garden huckleberries are finally beginning to turn purple