Why is there a baby snapping turtle in my garden? It certainly makes me more aware of where I put my hands.

July 9, 2014 - Tuesday
49 degrees/cloudy/calm
Pentoga Road

It's a short one today. The guys are coming to seal the drive sometime this morning and I have plenty to do before they arrive. We finally negotiated a price I could afford and after talking with the brothers-in-law last week and pricing blacktop sealer in the five gallon pails, I decided to have to professionally done.

Yesterday was a rainy and cold affair. I spent most the morning grading assignments. After, I went into town and purchased enough treated 2x6's to get started on the foundation of the storage shed. I've discovered that our local lumber yard is very competitive in price on some of the lumber I'll be needing and will keep as much of my business local as possible.

I worked the rest of the afternoon prepping the area, digging dirt and sand away from the foundation of the pole barn and making more last minute measurements. I think I'm ready. It's very important the posts are placed in exactly the right places and I think, after a lot of calculations, I've devised a way to ensure they will be. If it works, I'll share my method. If not, no one will ever know.

The holes are dug, the cement and lumber is purchased. It's time.

Only a real garden nerd would appreciate the fact that the giant pumpkins are blooming and I hand pollenated several of the female blossoms. Next week, I'll chose the best looking fruit from each plant and pluck the rest off and begin feeding each a concentrated formula of nutrient-rich fertilizer on a daily basis. 

It's time to get rolling for the day. There are several pails of strawberries to pick, hopefully, before the blacktop crew arrives. I'll be spending the rest of the day playing with the posts and foundation. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...