September 27, 2014
41 degrees/clear/calm
Pentoga Road

Indian Summer continues on Pentoga Road and I don't believe there's anyone who is not enjoying it. According to Carl the Weatherman, we're to have two more days of near-perfect conditions before it all comes crashing to a halt. Some of the forecast highs for next week barely make it out of the 40's with occasional rain.

I was going to go fishing early this morning, but decided to stay home and get the rest of the maple tree worked up and put away. As Andy says about various activities in his life, "That wood ain't gonna chop itself."

I did go fishing Friday morning. 



Though I didn't catch many, the few I brought home were nice sized. As Sargie says, we're putting the filets in our "bluegill bank" so we can have a huge fish fry sometime this fall.



For the first time in a couple of days, I ventured to the garden and began the annual fall clean up. As much as I love to play in the dirt, plant, and harvest the vegetables I grow, I absolutely hate to pull the dead plants and vines. It's kind of like, as a child, having to clean my room after having a buddy or two spend the night. 

I didn't realize there were so many mini pumpkins until the vines died last week.

I began yesterday by picking a few regular pumpkins, mini-pumpkins, and some white ones. I'll wait another week before harvesting the giant pumpkins.



I also began collecting seed for next year's garden. Yesterday saw me pluck a few mammoth sunflower seeds and select two or three Kibit tomatoes. The Kibits are from the Ukraine and though they look like a paste/pear tomato, are very juicy and have an old-fashioned tomato flavor. The only problem is they bear so heavy that it takes a super tomato cage to hold them up. I'll spend part of this winter inventing something so they can't fall to the ground next summer. 



I took a break from the heat of the day and spent a couple of hours indoors grading papers. My typical student is either one earning his graduate degree or an experienced teacher who is taking the class for certification. Assignments submitted by those students are generally top notch. 

In the fall, I usually have a few freshmen education majors, those right out of high school. There were a couple of papers yesterday that reminded me of my public school teaching days. I'll just say they were sent back filled with digital red pencil marks.

I spent the rest of the working day on the backhoe. I thought I'd only have another hour or two of work in the backyard before that project was finished, but I ran into a pile of boulders and rocks that were probably pushed to one side when this was a working farm. At first, I thought I'd simply cart them away using the tractor, but after a while, I came to the conclusion that I'd dig a huge hole and bury them. 



Hopefully, I'll finish that particular area this afternoon.

Future back yard? I hope so.

I received a call from Sargie last night. She'd made it to Marquette in great shape and they'd just finished supper. The girls were heading to their hotel room(s) for a night of girl-talk. I'd sure loved to have been a little mouse in the corner listening. On second thought, no I wouldn't. I'd not want to be privy to all that important news and information!

Brutus and I made it through the night in great shape although he missed Sargie and couldn't figure out where she'd gone. I slept on her side of the bed and he was only a few inches away on the floor. Each time the pup would turn over, burp, snore, or pass no small amount of gas, I'd wake up. As Sargie says, he can be a real pig. 

I awakened this morning laying on my side, facing out, on the edge of the bed. I opened my eyes and found Brutus sitting up looking at me, our heads level, my nose only an inch or two from his. I laughed and asked what he was doing and he responded by licking me square across the face with his big, wet, tongue.

It's time to head outside and get the last of the maple tree worked up. After, I want to harvest the winter squash from the garden, then spend this afternoon on the backhoe.

I'm going to end today by grilling a steak Sargie bought me before she left. Mmm, fresh tomatoes, a baked potato, both from the garden, chopped green pepper, butter, and sour cream, on the potato... the steak grilled medium rare. Oh yeah... I could eat it all for breakfast.

Our closest town seven miles away, Alpha, is decked out in its fall colors.

Time to quit dreaming and get busy. After all, a man's job is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

Pentoga Road is beautiful this time of the year. Our drive is at the bottom of the hill on the left.