A proud Dad moment.
 My son, Luke, a Lieutenant with the S. Portland, Maine, Fire Department, getting ready to fight a large house fire on Sunday.

February 23, 2015 - Monday
-33/clear/calm
Pentoga Road

I'm mad. I'm really mad.

I generally begin my day by either reading or listening to the online news. I have a daily ritual where I browse websites that are known to be to the politically left or right, hopefully so I can land in the middle and glean what's really happening... CNN, Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Drudge Report, The Daily Caller, and Fox News. I used to read the NBC News online, but I heard that some guy named Brian Williams was making it up as he went along.

I've noticed a trend over the years with the reporting. 

First, it's become biased either to the left or right, makes no difference. 

Second, what is written or said is not always necessarily true. 

Third, much of what is printed seems to be dictated directly from a government source or some other agency outside of the news bureaus. Imbalanced, fact-based, reporting seems to have gone by the wayside. It's not about being liberal or conservative. It's about telling the truth.

All that aside, there's something wrong when the headlines and first several stories published by several news organizations were about last night's Oscar presentations. I had to search for real news... and eventually found it buried down a page, intermixed with more stories of Hollywood and glamour. 

Even the normally conservative, dirt-digging, Drudge Report, began with a picture of Neil Patrick Harris wearing whitey tightys. Huffington Post, the decidedly liberal rag was all about the Oscars, but thankfully, Fox News decided that what was happening in the U.S. and world, other than show biz, was more important. 

Priorities have changed over the past generation. It's sad.

I'm finished with my lecture, but I'm still seething.

Sunday was a lazy one for Sargie and me. The temperature finally got up to -4 and the wind blew at a fairly good clip. Brutus and I didn't stand around outside for long while playing fetch and rather than accompany me as I hauled wood, he once again made a bee line for the door and stood while waiting to be let in. I think my pup is turning into a fair weather, delicate, little flower.

Sargie and I made a quick trip to town so I might purchase a door sweep. I'd earlier felt a draft coming in through the bottom of the kitchen door and upon closer inspection, found the old weather stripping along the bottom had grown brittle and cracked, leaving a gap of about six to eight inches through which the wind could seep in out of the garage.

We did our hardware shopping, grabbed a Coke each, took the long way home, and I was soon working on the door. 

Dad used to say that it takes at least twice as long to do something in cold weather as it does during warmer times. Yesterday was no exception. What might have taken ten minutes in the month of June consumed over an hour yesterday. Still, in the end, the door was made tight and the kitchen warmed significantly.



I'd taken fish out of the freezer last Friday, but because of Sargie's long work hours, we didn't have our fish feed. I started the fryer in the garage Sunday afternoon and prepared bluegill and crappie fillets along with sweet potato fries. There were two fat and happy kids looking at an empty platter two hours later.



We had a wonderfully quiet evening last night. 

Sargie has to close today. I just went out to start her car and found the battery too low to turn the engine fast enough. It's the original battery that came with the car and has seen it's better days. Thankfully, the Blazer started and instantly became the "auto du jour," especially since our friend and Sargie's coworker, Michelle, called and asked if Sargie might stop and jump her car on her way to work. It's one of those frigid, very windy, very cold mornings.



I was up at 3:30 this morning filling the wood stove. After returning to bed, Brutus decided he needed to go outside, so I trekked down the steps again. This time I stayed up reading and grading assignments.

I'll finish my university work today, try starting Sargie's car in a bit after the battery charger has had a chance to work it's magic, and otherwise remain on the inside looking out. 

We're heading for Green Bay first thing Tuesday morning to purchase needed goods at Sam's Club. No doubt there'll be a drive by of Fleet Farm, the mall, and Harbor Freight has a workbench on sale that will look good in my new shop.

At this point in my writing, I'd normally say something about pouring a cup of coffee and listening to the news, but I think I'll skip the later. Reading about Neal Patrick Harris clad only in his BVD's in front of an audience of millions just doesn't do it for me. I think I'll just grade assignments.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

There's no breeze coming in under that door!