Look who's living in the wood shed? It's Elmo the Ermine.

March 9, 2015 - Monday
22 degrees/clear/calm
Pentoga Road

Spring is in the air and regardless of losing an hour this past weekend due to Daylight Savings Time, I was awake early this morning ready to hit the floor running. I've got fish to catch, trees to tap, and errands to run. 

The past two days have been lazy, yet busy... if that makes any sense. We drove halfway to Marquette on Saturday afternoon to meet Macrea and make the baby exchange. Our house seems quiet. Gone are the baby noises, the squeals of delight that can be produced with the mere sighting of a graham cracker, and the fussing of a mad infant when he's played too much and is ready for a nap. It doesn't seem quite right, yet Grandma and I had no trouble sleeping the last couple of nights.



It's bothered me all winter that I was unable to get the Cub Cadet mower running last fall when I wanted to put it away for the winter. I wondered how I'd load it into the truck or on a trailer to take it to Larry the Mechanic. To make matters worse, the back wheels wouldn't roll. I had to drag it to its winter resting place along one wall.

I began Sunday finding the battery was dead and would no longer hold a charge, even after being on the charger the night before. That was solved by hooking a car battery to the mower with jumper cables. I choked, I throttled, I danced the hootchie coo. No amount of cajoling would cause the engine to start.

Starter fluid. Why sure, why didn't I think of it before? I took the plugs out and squirted a manly amount down each hole, screwed the plugs back in, and prayed to the god of Cub Cadet lawn mowers. The machine jumped to life. It'll be taken to Larry the Mechanic's on Wednesday. A transmission seal is leaking, new bearings are needed for the spindles onto which the blades attach, the throttle cable is worn, and it needs a good going over. Larry's my man.



Sargie and I took our usual Sunday afternoon ride, driving from one lake to the other. Ice fisherman are beginning to come out of hibernation as we saw several sitting on the ice, enjoying the warm afternoon.



Late yesterday afternoon was spent trying to splice the transducer cable on the fish finder. I decided to shorten the pipe and despite my best efforts, cut through the cord. I've made several attempts to fix it, but so far, it's been bad news. I won't really worry about it this late in the season, but it makes me angry; just plain stupidity. I thought I had the cord out of the way of the saw. Surprise. 

Sargie's back to work today. I've got a busy one planned. I'm heading out to the lake at first light this morning in search of a mess of crappies. I hope to be back home by 9:30 so I can begin tapping trees. A high of 50 degrees is forecast later this week and I'd like to get in fifty to sixty taps today and tomorrow. Later, I hope to go to town and purchase a new battery for the lawn mower and stop by and see Larry the Mechanic to make arrangements for the mower.

There's time for one more cup of coffee and as soon as it gets light outside, I'll be heading to the lake. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Spring is in the air. Before we know it, the boat, chipper, and backhoe, will be uncovered for another season of use.