September 12, 2013 – Thursday

48 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

I’m trying to clear the cobwebs from between my ears this morning. It was past nine last night before Sargie got home. Maybe it was going to bed later than usual, perhaps I was exhausted from watching Uncle Terry paint all day, or maybe, bed simply felt good this morning. Whatever the reason, I could have done with a bit more sleep.

We hit the floor running on Wednesday. Uncle Terry was anxious to begin painting. So with paint chip in hand (to match the kitchen cabinet’s color), we headed to town.

At the hardware store, Peg is looking up the combination of colors to match the paint chip

No slouch in the work department herself, Aunt Sue started the first load of laundry. They’ve been on the road for a sometime and she was happy to get to a place where she could wash their clothes.

Uncle Terry talks paint. He knows paint. I think he might have paint surging through his veins rather than the more conventional blood like mere mortals. Simply put, he’s a genuine paintologist. Uncle Terry and Peg, one of the clerks at our local hardware, began talking shades, types, hues, primers, and brushes, and within a few minutes, we walked from the store, paint in hand. Would it match the old? Terry thought so. He sanded the places that were previously chipped and began. I couldn’t believe it. The paint matched so closely that the cabinets looked like new. Uncle Terry had scored another bull’s eye on the color pallet of life.

I'll show the finished product tomorrow after the second coat is applied today

After a quick lunch of leftover pizza, Uncle Terry was once again eager to paint. The roof of the Dog Mahol? Why not!

He painted until running out of the high gloss red that matches the roof of our family home, then we returned to the hardware store once again for another can. Brutus now has a bright red roof to call his own.

We took a walk last night and enjoyed the evening chill. A cold front had come marching through earlier wiping away all humidity and any semblance of heat. The lows for the next few days are to be close to the freezing mark.

I received a call to substitute teach at Forest Park High School in Crystal Falls today. It was for algebra and pre-calculus. Oh yeah, asking a guy who wears loafers so he can quickly call upon his toes should he run out of fingers on which to count. I told the secretary we had company for the week, but beginning next, I’d be happy to substitute when they needed me.

Uncle Terry is going to apply another coat of paint to the kitchen cabinets today then begin painting the railings on the porch of Brutus’s doghouse. Later this afternoon, we’ll go over to Iron Mountain where I’ll get the last of the materials needed to finish the house this weekend. We’ll meet Sargie after work, visit Mr. Milligan at the VA Hospital, then go out to eat. Aunt Sue mentioned earlier they might be driving south on Friday so this will be our last opportunity to gab and be together.

I’m going to continue to read and grade papers today. With classes so big, it’s what I did most of Wednesday. I’d read, then hang out with Uncle Terry, then read more, talk with Aunt Sue, continue reading… and the cycle continued throughout the day.

This guy needs another cup of coffee to fuel the machine. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…