September 11, 2013 – Wednesday

59 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

It seems the further into this retirement thing I travel, the easier it becomes to occasionally steal an extra hour or two of sleep each morning. There are still those mornings that I wake at 4 AM ready to put my feet on the ground, but increasingly, I’m able to lie beside Sargie, content to snuggle, nice and warm, and doze for an extra hour. I like that.

Hmm, I just looked at the weather forecast. Today’s forecast high is to be 78 degrees, tomorrow’s 59, and Friday’s is pegged at 57 degrees. I’m suspecting there’s a cold front about to wander through the UP.

Tuesday was a fun day on Pentoga Road. After the log was uploaded, I read and graded papers until everyone else got up for the day. We spent the morning engaged in long catching-up conversations over hot cups of coffee. I guess it was one of those times you wish wouldn’t end. Everything was perfect… good people, good conversations, good vibes, and even the coffee seemed to taste better than normal.

The clock was marching towards noon. I decided to fix super omelets for brunch, gathered and chopped all the vegetables, and once again, we ate and talked into the afternoon hours.

Aunt Sue and Uncle Terry have been reading about our excursions to Insurance Liquidators and expressed a desire to go. I’m not sure what treasures Aunt Sue found, but it was a bag full. 

Uncle Terry's covering his ears. It was raining and he didn't want his hearing aides to get wet.

Sargie wasn’t without her bargains. Ah, Insurance Liquidators… where every trip is truly a treasure hunt.



The day was growing late. I’d not taken my walk and Brutus was itchy to get some exercise. In the end, the four of us walked the mile-and-a-half to the lake. I found a stick and the pup was happy to play water dog for almost half an hour.



The sun was long in the sky when we strolled home; a fitting ending to a wonderful day.

Aunt Sue had brought some smoked whitefish spread. We enjoyed that along with popcorn as we watched America’s Got Talent last night.

Sargie has to close tonight so it will be a long day for her. We’re going to venture into town armed with a paint chip from the kitchen cabinets and see if we can match the color of the cabinets. Uncle Terry also wants to paint the Dog Majol. He did a test strip of color on the roof yesterday and it appears the gloss red will stick. I think Aunt Sue is looking forward to curling up with a good book and relaxing. They’ve been on the go for the past couple of weeks, attending a class reunion in Ohio, visiting Sue’s mom in Cincinnati, and making the long drive up here. I think Aunt Sue’s ready for a vacation from her vacation.

Sargie and Sue walking on ahead

I’m going to help Uncle Terry where I can and continue to grade papers. The first quiz is due to be submitted today so it can be uploaded onto the class website. It’s going to be a busy one.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…