Granddaughter Emmy on Christmas morning

December 27, 2013 – Friday

-1 degrees/calm/clear

Pentoga Road

Coleman and Abigail

It’s currently quiet, but that’s going to change shortly. Andy and Mom are heading south today and though each packed last night, there’s little doubt that some last-minute shaking and moving will be going on. Come this afternoon, it will be back to  only Brutus and me keeping the home fires lit in the little house on Pentoga Road.

Andy and I headed to town yesterday where I visited the Verizon people and changed my cellular carrier. AT&T has been my carrier for years, but reception in this area is poor. AT&T’s signal is almost nonexistent. Verizon’s isn’t much better, but seems to be more available while traveling through the deep woods in the UP. The cost was about the same, so I though I’d try them for a couple of years.

I put a pork loin in the smoker yesterday for several hours after injecting it with honey and butter. Last night, I used my brand new, very used, meat slicer, to make deli cuts for sandwiches. I won’t brag… oh yes I will. Along with a little barbeque sauce, some homemade pickle slices, and the buns Sargie had purchased before coming home from work, it was to-die-for-good.

When I was a kid, there was a fellow, Big John, who ran a barbeque cart outside the low income projects in Peoria, Illinois. When Big John fired up the smoker, the entire south side of Peoria smelled wonderful, downright heavenly. When one took his first bite into Big John’s ribs or other pork goodies, he knew he’d arrived in Heaven.

I’m thinking… I could set up the smoker along Pentoga Road and sell to the people who drive the half dozen vehicles that travel by daily. Now if I could get Sargie to set up a lemonade stand, we could be downright, filthy, rich.

Don't worry, I still have all ten fingers... I think.

Mom and Andy packed last night. Mom seemed fairly organized while I believe Andy might have been a bit more scattered. It’s a Pennington boy thing… when we stay at someone’s house and they say, “Make yourself at home,” we take them at their word and tend to move right in and spread remnants of our belongings all over the place.

Andy’s older brother, Luke, is the most accomplished scatterer (<- new professorial word) of all the Pennington boys. He’s been known to leave a sock in one corner of a house, a t-shirt in another, and Lord only knows where his underwear might be. It’s a trait the Pennington men have inherited for generations on end.

Andy's using the new knife sharpener Sargie gave me. Grandma is assisting.

Sargie was home early last night. We spent the evening talking and watching Andy pack. Everyone was in bed by 10 last night.

We have to be at the airport shortly before noon today. The weather looks to be good for flying and hopefully, Mom will get to Indianapolis around 6 this evening. Andy isn’t scheduled to arrive in Houston until later. It will be a long day for both.

Neighbor Mike called yesterday and left a message indicating he’ll be down later today or tomorrow and mentioned something about ice fishing. It could well be on my things-to-do list for tomorrow. The high is to be near the freezing mark before the temperatures plummet once again. I see the thermometer’s to reach clear up to 3 below zero next Tuesday… for a high.

It’s time to throw another lawg on the far, splash some more coffee into the mug, listen to the news, and think deep thoughts.

If only you had my life, but then as we all know, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…