Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2014 - Friday

26 degrees/snow/windy

Pentoga Road

This isn't the first white Halloween I've witnessed, but it's been a while since the last. There'll be a lot of stretched Halloween costumes in the UP tonight as the mommies of the trick or treating munchkins try to fit the costumes of their little ghouls and goblins over puffy snowsuits.

I was thinking earlier about the fact that I don't get nearly as excited for Halloween as I did sixty years ago. The holiday ranked right up there with Christmas and my birthday. There'd be a HUGE party at our elementary school where we'd dress in our costumes and parade through the other classrooms. After, we'd eat candy and cupcakes, play games, and be allowed to act like young children. 

I'm not sure many schools have Halloween parties anymore. No doubt, it would offend someone and from what I read, thanks to your president's wife, cupcakes and other candies, even for special occasions, are outlawed in many schools. Oh well, we still celebrate Halloween, complete with candy and other goodies, on Pentoga Road, and if the president's wife doesn't approve, she can hop on her broom and fly away... far far away.

Onto something positive... I worked Thursday morning continuing to clean the barn. It's still a mess, but it's a good mess caused by pulling workbenches out from the wall and sweeping; things like that. Another day or two should see the shop and barn cleaned, just in time for me to haul in the fish shack to remodel for this coming ice fishing season. 

Arg, bad news. Sargie woke up this morning so dizzy she's having a difficult time walking. I think we're going to head to the clinic. I'm not sure how this will affect our weekend with Baby Grady.

Sargie and I took our usual day-off drive around the lakes on Thursday afternoon. We found Neighbor Mike at one, looking for any signs of lake trout beginning to spawn. We're planning on heading out early Saturday morning in his boat in search of meat for the table.

And so the day, cold, damp, and breezy, progressed. It was a quiet evening at home and we were in bed early last night. 

We're planning on going to the clinic in Iron Mountain early this afternoon. Depending on the outcome and time, we might try to go on to Marquette for Grady. If Sargie's no better, we'll be back home and I'll put my girl to bed.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Granddaughter, Abigail, holding Kevin the rabbit

October 30, 2014 - Thursday

35 degrees/cloudy/calm

Pentoga Road

These are the dog days of fall; gloomy, breezy, wet, and chilly, if not cold. I guess the timing for recovering from a sinus infection is almost perfect. It's not much fun going outside anyway, so a guy might as well stay in the house and try to feel better. I've remained mostly inside, confined to my recliner, and today, the first in several, I'm feeling good. The antibiotics are beginning to work their magic.

Ol' Coleman's holding a mellow Kevin too. I held Kevin on my lap all the way from the rabbitry where Luke purchased him.

I did crawl out of the house long enough on Wednesday to unload wood from the pickup. 

Goofy weather... it would cloud up and rain causing me to put on my heavier coat. Five minutes later, the sun would appear and I'd strip down to a t-shirt. It doesn't appear the sun will shine today so I won't have that problem.

Sargie's off for an unbelievable four days in a row. What's better is that we're heading to Marquette Friday morning to pick up Grady. We'll have the little guy until Sunday morning when Mommy and Daddy will swing by to pick him up on their way to other relatives. 

I just happened to think. We'll have Grady for Halloween night. Poor kid doesn't have any teeth yet and won't be able to eat his candy. It's a darn good thing Grandpa P's here to help him out in that department. 

It's a burden not carried lightly. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Taken in City Park, Iron Mountain, where Sargie and I ate our lunch on Monday. Note the albino deer in the background. He wasn't nearly as tame as this big guy. 

October 29, 2014 - Wednesday
 34 degrees/partly cloudy/calm
Pentoga Road

Tuesday was spent dozing in my chair until it was time for my doctor's appointment. Neighbor Mike and I were supposed to go fishing, but the wind came up and besides, I just didn't feel like it. The sinus infection had about done me in and my get-up-and-go had gotten-up-and-left.

The physician's assistant who saw me was really a sharp lady and I liked her a great deal, especially when I learned that the partnership between my boy-doctor and the medical group had been terminated. I'm not sure what the deal is there, but I'm sans doctor. 

The PA affirmed that I probably do have a sinus infection and prescribed some antibiotics, but I'll go to the dentist in the near future and have a good check up.

Sargie and I had lunch together and I came back home, piled into the recliner, and slept the rest of the afternoon.

Mark and Jerad came out last night with Mark driving the old truck filled with wood. It was good to see both and talk for a bit.

Sargie was home later and we watched tv and ate supper; a pretty quiet evening.

Other than the forecasted snow and rain mix, I'm not sure what today will bring. I'm feeling better so I hope to continue working in the barn. Sargie works early, will be home early tonight, and is off tomorrow. 

It's time for coffee and to possibly think a deep thought.... nope, I just checked, no deep thoughts. Just coffee. Oh well, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sargie displaying her entry for the Bras for a Cause event.

October 28, 2014 - Tuesday

43 degrees/cloudy/breezy

Pentoga Road

With Monday dawning gloomy and misty, I worked in the barn all day, putting away, throwing away, and right now, there's a bigger mess than when I originally started. 

I finally bit the bullet and decided to either burn or cut up a rack of milled lumber that I originally thought was "too good to throw away." The problem was, I'd had most of it for several years and forgot what was on the wood rack and came to the conclusion that if it wasn't any more important than that, it was going away.

Most, I cut into kindling to be used to start fires this winter.

Some of the larger pieces, those left from when I disassembled a large entertainment center, went to the burn pile.

They weren't real wood anyway, but inexpensive particle board with a paper covering that made it look like the genuine thing.

I finally quit later Monday afternoon and came inside to grade papers. I imagine there's still another full day's worth of cleaning to do before the barn and shop will be ready for the winter months... or the next project. 

I fixed steaks on the grill, winter squash, and Brussels sprouts, last night for supper. Everything sure tasted good. We're so busy and with Sargie's hours, we often grab a bite on the run.

Sargie worked most the evening decorating the bra for Bras for a Cause, a charitable event headed up by sister-in-law, Debbie, to raise money for breast cancer research. Sargie's a veritable Picasso when it comes to bra design! 

Neighbor Mike stopped by and asked if I wanted to go fishing this morning. He said we'd take his boat, so I'm all in. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon to see about this sinus infection (I think) that I've been battling for quite a while. I'm still not certain if it's sinus or a bad tooth, but it makes the right side of my head feel as though it's going to burst. 

Meanwhile, I need to throw another log on the fire and sip some coffee. I'm not feeling any deep thoughts this morning. None-the-less, we all know that a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Towing the backhoe into the woods to make a new trail.

October 27, 2014 - Monday

41 degrees/heavy rain - thunderstorms/calm

Pentoga Road

This is the quintessential Monday morning that everyone dreads. It's cold, it's rainy, it's storming... the perfect ingredients for one to stay in bed and sleep the day away. That's not happening, at least here on Pentoga Road.

Sunday was almost perfect. I began the day by cutting down and working up two gray birch trees out of a clump of three. Though none of the trees were huge, growing in a clump presented some challenges. In the end, the two came tumbling down. Both were cut in chunks, split, hauled to the shed, and stacked. Not bad for a morning's work.

It's that time of year to clean the flue on the wood stove. I hate that job; absolutely hate it. Sargie and I tackled it head on and after an hour of being smothered and covered in suet and dust, the stove and pipe are both ready for another year of burning wood.

We attach a garbage bag onto the bottom of the pipe that runs through the ceiling to keep the suet from coming into the living room.

... and then it's time to scrub the flue

We took our usual Sunday drive, grabbed a Coke each, and observed others working in their yards, doing all those last minute chores before the weather closes in for the year.

I was attempting to rake leaves, but ran into a bulldog. Brutus thought I was making a mattress and kept trying to lay in the middle of the pile.

Sargie followed me into town where I left the truck at the plant for another load of wood. We also saw this house for sale. Other than the newer front door, I'm pretty sure it would qualify as a "fixer upper."  

It was such a beautiful late afternoon that neither Sargie or I wanted to go inside. She busied herself putting away outside pots, transplanting perennials, and doing whatever else needed to be done.

I'd found a dead wild cherry tree earlier in the woods. Only problem, there was no way to get there by four-wheeler or tractor. I ended up towing the backhoe and making a trail to it. 

Though it wasn't a large tree, for the second time in a day, I cut, chunked, split, and put away a load of hard wood.

I've never believed in chemtrails (the government's supposed attempts at manipulating the weather by spraying aluminum oxide,) but after observing yesterday's paths in the skies, it made me wonder.

I had (what I believe) is some sort of sinus attack last night. It felt like my teeth were going to fall out and one eye was swollen and runny. And the pressure behind my face... wow. I took three chlortabs, two pain relievers, and four Echinacia pills before going to bed. The pain subsided and I slept well. 

Sargie's working early today. I'm going to grade papers first thing this morning then work in the barn putting things away for the upcoming winter months.

But first, it's time for a cup of coffee and to think a few deep thoughts. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Multi-tasking... surrendering to the urge to think a deep thought while trying to drive the tractor. Here I was close to arriving at the solution to world peace or to solve world hunger. I can't remember which.  

October 26, 2014 - Sunday

28 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

It's dawning another beautiful day in the neighborhood, supposedly our last for the foreseeable future. 

Saturday was sunny and mild, but very windy. I took advantage of the perfect drying conditions to hang out the laundry, sheets from our bed.

They felt and smelled so good last night. Sargie and I agree that's one of the life's greatest pleasures; to crawl between freshly laundered sheets that have dried while hanging from a clothesline.

I spent most the morning removing the furniture from the patio. It's now safely stored behind the new shed and won't come out again until next spring, well after the snow has melted and the mud has dried. 

The shed was emptied of all tools and scrap wood left over from the summer's construction. As I told someone earlier, I've mentally chalked the construction phase from my list of things that have to be accomplished before snow flies. It's a good feeling.

I'd left some tools in the shed should I need to build more shelves.

I worked for quite a while finishing any landscaping in the rear of the back yard, also behind the storage shed and barn. Both projects are finished and I can cross those off my list.

We lost our electricity yesterday and after several hours, I hooked up the alternative 12 volt system that runs off the solar panels and battery. Naturally, I just got the lights hooked up when the power came back on. 

I used the opportunity late Saturday afternoon to check the large generator that is hooked directly to the house. I've only started it three times in the past several years and as usual, it roared to life on the first pull. I've never used it for power, but it's ready should we need it.

Sargie was home early last night with a pizza in hand. As usual, we both ate entirely too much and wondered after, why we're so gluttonous. With full bellies, we couldn't keep our eyes open and were in bed fairly early. 

Sargie's off today and I'm not sure what she has on her agenda. I may begin the process of cutting and working up a dead hardwood tree after it warms up a bit. Since the Packers don't play until this evening and it's a nice day, I imagine we'll take our usual Sunday afternoon drive.

But until then, I'm going to grab another cup of coffee, think some deep thoughts, and stare into the fire for a while. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Even the bull dog was taking advantage of the weather on Saturday.

Days like Friday are few and far between this time of the year. I took advantage of the nice weather to put meat on the table. 

October 25, 2014 - Saturday

48 degrees/clear/windy

Pentoga Road

And that's exactly what I did on Friday. I went fishing. After riding with Sargie to Iron Mountain to pick up the Blazer, upon arriving home, I hooked up the trailer and took off for one of my favorite lakes.

To say it was perfect wouldn't fully describe the day. There was little to no breeze and the temperature climbed into the low 60's by mid-afternoon.

This turtle even climbed out onto a log to enjoy the sunshine

And to make matters even better, the fish were hitting. In fact, it never dawned on me until later to count how many were in the basket. When I did, I had to quit. I'd caught my limit of twenty-five.

I put my mind in neutral and trolled all over the lake, a pond really. I thought of Dad several times. This would have been his kind of fishing. He wasn't a trophy angler and was often heard to say, "Who cares if we catch anything? It's just a good day to be outside on the water." Another of his sayings when fishing was poor went something like, "Who cares? It's just a good day to be alive."

Dad liked smaller lakes where others seldom fished and seemed to always enjoy his surroundings while trying to meat on the table. In fact, he preferred farm ponds to lakes and that's where I spent most of my formative angling years... fishing in local farm ponds.

Dad was a good fisherman and seemed to delight in each and every fish he put in a basket or on the stringer.

So I spent most of yesterday with Dad, if not physically, then mentally, and we had a fine day together.

I arrived home towards late afternoon and by the time the fish were cleaned, I knew Sargie would be arriving and it was time to think of supper. I dug potatoes from the garden and took some brats out of the freezer. Last night's supper contained a food group or two, mostly fat. Fried taters and brats. Mmm. Perfect after a day on the water.

Sargie and I had a nice evening together. We watched television and did a lot of gabbing.

She works early today. I'm going to walk my five miles then work outside. I see rain and the possibility of snow with a high of forty is forecast for a day or two next week. I'm going to make hay while the sun shines. It won't be around much longer.

Meanwhile, it's time for coffee and to listen to the news. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

We delivered pumpkins to Aubrey and Marley on Thursday evening. Check out those shoes Aubrey's wearing.

October 24, 2014 - Friday

44 degrees/cloudy/calm

Pentoga Road

There's not much to write about this morning. It rained yesterday... and rained and rained, then rained some more. I tried working in the shop, but it was so damp and cold that I soon gave up and came back inside.

The day was spent being lazy. I graded a paper or two, washed several loads of laundry, swept and vacuumed the floors, and watched B movie. Oh, and I ate... I had the "stuck inside and am bored, so think I'll eat," syndrome.

I loaded pumpkins, maple syrup, and winter squash, into the Blazer later in the afternoon and drove to Iron Mountain to meet Sargie after work.  

We delivered Aubrey and Marley's pumpkins and had a great visit with Sargie's sister, Holly, and brother-in-law, Ross. They were babysitting while the girls' folks were working. 

We were also able to leave niece Brielle's pumpkin with them as well as some maple syrup and a winter squash for Ashley. They'll be up from their home in Wisconsin this coming weekend. We also left sister, Nancy's, goodies too. She'll be coming through town from Foster City in the next day or two. It was one-stop shopping!

We next traveled to Jeanne and Boyd's, but no one was home. Since we left Sasha three or four pumpkins, I doubt they had any difficulty discovering the Pumpkin Fairy had visited while they were away.

We grabbed a burger on the way home and enjoyed a short evening in front of the television.

Sargie works early today. I'll be going over with her this morning and driving the Blazer home. The last I saw, it's to be sunny and warmer. Hmm, a late season fishing expedition? Stay tuned because as we all know, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...