It's a four-wheeler selfie.

September 10, 2014 - Monday

62 degrees/heavy rain/breezy

Pentoga Road

I lay in bed this morning listening to the rain hit the metal roof and thinking how I used to do the same when living in Sitka. In fact, throw in a mountain or two and an ocean and this very well could be Southeast Alaska. It's dark, it's chilly, and it's wet, all the necessary ingredients needed to make up a prime Sitka stew.

I called Brutus, but he was reluctant to leave his warm and dry doghouse.

Tuesday was another busy one on Pentoga Road. Sargie spent most the day sorting through the boxes in the storage unit. A fire was started in the burn barrel before noon and was still smoking last night. I think she traveled down several memory lanes as she sorted through papers and documents from a past life and often paused to show me various newspaper articles, pictures, and old school papers that were cut and saved over the years when Craig, Cale, Shea, and Macrea were growing up. Those closest to the heart were lovingly placed in a waterproof tote. Lesser ones went to the burn barrel. By the end of the day, fewer boxes sat in the storage shed.

I busied myself cleaning the barn and shop. I'd sure like to know who that scoundrel is that sneaks into the barn during the nighttime hours, uses my tools, then simply lays them on the workbench without putting any away. I cleaned, sorted, and did all kinds of maintenance. I think half the contents of the greenhouse had made their way to the barn over the summer months and much of the barn migrated to the garden. Today will be a perfect one to finish cleaning before I begin my next project.

Neighbor Mike asked if he might borrow the four-wheel drive ATV. Only one problem. The four wheeler hadn't been used all summer and had a flat tire. 

It was the perfect excuse to fix the tire, do some basic maintenance, and wash the thing before turning it over to Mike. I'm glad he used it and got some fresh gas flowing through the engine.

We should be in the middle of prime leaf season in a couple more weeks.

Sargie and I later took an hour-long ATV ride around the neighborhood visiting the local lakes and river. It was clear and calm, the perfect evening for a ride.

We spotted this apple tree in the middle of a field and I couldn't help myself. Hopping from the four-wheeler, I ran over and snatched a couple of ripe apples. After, Sargie and I happily crunched our way down the road.

It appears the rain will continue to fall heavily throughout the day. In fact, there's a flood watch issued for our area. 

Sargie went to work early and hopefully, will not be too late coming home. The first quiz of the semester needs to be uploaded and after, I'll make my way to the barn. 

But wait!! My eyes keep wanting to close. I might have to sneak in a nap before starting the heavy chores. This retirement business can be stressful on a dark, cold, and rainy day. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...