Pentoga Road

January 9, 2014 – Thursday

-36 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

Another record is broken this morning. The old lowest temperature was -15 for this date. We not only broke the record, we shattered it. I’m running about fifteen degrees colder out here in the valley than what’s showing in town. Cold air always seeks the lowest point. I think this is where it’s happening this early morning.

I enjoyed a wonderful five-mile hike along the lakes Wednesday morning. Though the temperature was well below zero, there was no wind, the sun was bright, and it was almost perfect hiking. I managed to twist my left knee, the one that was worked on last summer, when I broke through a thick crust of snow and attempted to pull it out without stopping. Nothing was seriously damaged other than my fragile ego and self esteem as I fell forward and buried my face in deep snow.

Brutus and I played outside for over two hours. I finally wore the pup down to the point that he quit retrieving his ball and simply lay in the middle of the drive refusing to run. Forced to stay inside these past two weeks, he’s had more energy than good sense. I’m happy we exhausted yesterday’s supply. Size-wise, I’m no wilting flower and Brutus is over half my size. With the latest bout of frigid weather, we’ve been forced to remain in the house and trip over each other. Indoors or out, when he decides it’s time to play, everything is fair game; my body parts, the furniture, him running across and slipping on the laminate floors. That’s all energy that’s best spent outside.

I talked for a bit with Brother Garry, and his wife, Jody, in Laurel, Mississippi. They were mostly staying inside waiting for the weather to change. Garry said he had an outside pipe or two break from the cold weather. I’m always teasing him about what a sissy he is when it comes to cold temperatures, but as we both agreed, cold is cold, no matter where one lives. I’ve been just as miserable in forty degree, rainy, and windy weather, as I have in forty below temperatures.

A highway going out to a small village of ice shacks.

Sargie’s gearing up for her girl vacation beginning on Friday. She's to be in Iron Mountain by 8 AM Friday morning, their scheduled departure time for points south. I’ve been assigned popcorn duty between now and then; making a huge bag full for the sisters to munch on during their stay.

Other than popping corn today, there’s laundry that needs to be done, another walk to take, ice fishing equipment to make ready for the promised warmer weather, the dog to exercise, and deep thoughts to think.

Snow plows can be awfully hard on mailboxes. The mailman is forced to drive up on the packed snow and reach down to put the mail in this box.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

Regardless of the weather, there's wood to split and carry in every day.