May 23, 2015 - Saturday morning
31 degrees/sunny/calm
Pentoga Road

There's not a lot of time to write this morning. It's T minus six hours and counting until the big Grady/Milligan birthday party begins and there are things to do, places to go, and people to see before it all happens.

The weather was beautiful on Friday, almost perfect. Sargie was busy all day in the house doing what she does and has our home looking beautiful. Now if we could figure out how to get it to stay this way all the time. The old guy and bull dog who live here seem to attract dirt.

I'm vacuuming around the wood stove. Afraid he's going to miss some action, Grady pulled himself up on my legs and got a hand in trying to help.

Grady has been sleeping like a rock; slumbering twelve to fourteen hours a night and yesterday, lay down in the afternoon for another three-hour snooze. 

But during his awake hours, he's a busy busy boy and loves being outside helping Grandpa.



With Sargie's help, I finished weaving the cucumber trellis in the garden. Meanwhile, Grady discovered the hose and insisted on helping with the trellis.







But the little guy's most favorite outside activity was to dig in the wood chips and dirt. He made mounds and destroyed them and oh, to lift one's hands filled with dirt high into the air, then slowly let it fall back to earth. A sunflower or two might have suffered, but there was one happy little boy who discovered the joys of being in Grandpa's garden on Friday afternoon.

The trellis was finished and the cucumbers will be planted early this coming week.



Thanks, Sargie, for all your help, and thank you, Grady, for... your... ahem... assistance. In all seriousness, yesterday's time spent in the garden was one of the most enjoyable I've had in years.

I mowed the lawn and front meadow yesterday. Though Grady didn't get to mow, he enjoyed sitting on Grandpa's lap for a ride around the yard.



There were all kinds of honey-do jobs that were accomplished on Friday, many of them while Grady took his nap. I sanded and applied stove-black (paint) to the wood stove. Once again, it looks like new and after a thorough cleaning on the inside before next fall, it will be ready for another burning season.

I cut chain and hung four of Sargie's ferns on the front porch.

Neighbor Mike came down last night carrying a tote filled with dahlia bulbs and asked where I wanted them planted. When I said I'd do it later, he insisted that he would plant them and headed towards the garden.

We finally found a place and together, planted a row along the backside of the cucumber trellis, the only available place.



And last but not least, I made another pipe flower planter. I've been watering a half a tote of petunias for the past ten days and wanted to get those out of the way. 

While I was working outside, Sargie and Grady were strolling up and down the drive. Sargie had been hanging clothes on the line and just like with Grandpa in the garden, Grady wanted to help. His actions were a bit confined by the stroller.



Darkness fell and it was time for for showers and baths. Grady grew fussy, but was happy to sit in Grandpa's chair for a bit and think a few deep thoughts that only a year-old baby can think.



Today's the big party. Sargie says she's going to run the dust rag over the tops of the furniture one last time. I promised I'd sweep the floors, then need to move my attentions to the back deck, spray it off, and arrange the patio furniture. It's going to be a busy morning.



Macrea will be driving down from Marquette and no doubt, Grady will be doing cartwheels when he sees his daddy. I look for the rest of the Mighty Milligans and other friends and relatives to begin arriving shortly after. 

Time to get busy. After all, a grandpa's work is never done.

Being with Grandpa is a fun thing, but at day's end, there's nothing better than a good bottle and being snuggled up with Grandma.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...