Brutus loves to lay on the warm hearth in front of the wood stove. How he keeps from getting burned is beyond me. Now if I could just teach him how to add wood to the fire.

January 2, 2014 – Thursday

-32 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

I just asked Brutus if he needed to go outside to piddle and he gave me a look that said, “You gotta be kidding me,” and lay his head back down.

You know, I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say I kind of enjoy this latest bout of global warming. Winter has been my favorite season since I can remember. In fact, I used to resent having to go to school as it interfered with playing outside in the snow, ice skating, and going ice fishing.

Now in my more mature years, I can’t say I’m delighted with this string of record-breaking temperatures, but at least I’ve become wise enough to realize that enduring these months of record-breaking frigid temperatures will allow me to appreciate the warmer seasons that much more.

I’m coming to the conclusion that I need to do something about our heating system. The oil furnace, manufactured in the 1970's, works well, but shouldn't be mistaken for a high efficiency model. Each time it starts, I can almost hear the sound of oil being sucked into the burner. At $4.00 a gallon, it’s a mighty expensive proposition.

I have an unlimited supply of wood. Between that from our land and what can be gleaned from Yooper Brother Mark’s plant, obtaining fuel for the wood stove isn’t a problem. The difficulty lies with the location; the living room located at the back of the house. It keeps that area very comfortable, but the temperatures in the rest of the house range from moderate to a few degrees above freezing. Most of the time, we don’t care, but it would be nice to have whole house heating without breaking the bank.

I’m not sure what the answer is… a pellet stove in the centrally located dining room? An add-on wood stove in the basement would be perfect except how to get the needed wood into the basement and where to stack it. We’re bulging at the seams now.

Stay tuned. Like the rest of my life, it’s all a process; and if we don’t do anything? We’re living pretty darn well just as we are. No one’s going to freeze to death in the little house with the red roof on Pentoga Road.

It later registered -32 under the roof of the porch, but I wasn't going to go back outside in my stocking feet to take a picture. Once was enough.

With Sargie having to work on New Year’s Day, I took the opportunity to complete one class for this upcoming semester. I’m not sure why it took so long, almost six hours, but by mid-afternoon, I finally exited from the online site knowing that when classes officially begin on the 13^th, I’ll be ready. One class down/one to go.

I was going to watch the Rose Parade until I remembered it was featuring two men getting married on a float. I try to love all people, and what others do in private is their business, but don’t try to cram their lifestyles down my throat.

My good buddy, Preacher Pat, called yesterday requesting that I ask for prayers for our friend, Scott, who had been involved in a serious motorcycle accident and is now hospitalized in Georgia. Pat knows the blog is read all over the world and there’s no doubt the power of prayer from many can help Scott to recover. Thanks, and on behalf of Scott’s wife, Becky, and his sons, I thank you.

Brutus and I started on a five-mile stroll Wednesday afternoon, but he pulled up lame just a mile down the road so we turned around and came back. His knee has been doing much better and I’d taken him off his pain medication, but with the onset of cold weather, we’ve notice he’s beginning to favor that leg again. Other than his daily sessions of fetch and the normal running around outside, I think I’ll curtail Brutus’s activities until warmer weather arrives.

My good buddy, Vince, called from Madawaska, Maine, and we got caught up on life in his neck of the woods. They’re going through the same type of winter as we are.

I talked with my oldest son, Josh, and the grandbabies last night. Since they were traveling over Christmas, they opened the gifts Sargie and I had gotten them last night. Being able to watch was wonderful and after, I had a great conversation with my granddaughter, Ellie. It was the first time we’d ever simply talked alone. Ellie’s growing up, that’s for sure. Hopefully, we can get her, along with her brothers, mommy and daddy, out to the UP in the next year or two.

Sargie was home fairly early and we enjoyed a pleasant evening watching television. I made the last of the smoked pork loin into sandwiches and it was purely pleasurable eating such comfort food while sitting by the wood stove.

Since Sargie worked New Years Day, she gets an extra day off this week, today. I’m not sure what’s on the agenda, and really, I don’t care. Any day Sargie doesn’t have to work is a good day.

So with that, I'm going to think some deep thoughts, mostly what to have for breakfast.

It’s stressful, but then you know, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

Look in the lower left hand corner at who took this picture... the lucky Tom Pennington who gets to hang out on the sidelines at NFL games. I watched this game at home. Does that count?