Our newest outdoor addition

June 30, 2015 - Tuesday
49 degrees/cloudy/windy
Pentoga Road

Seems like June just walked through the front door and just like that, it's flying out the window. Hard to believe a third of the summer is gone.

Monday was a busy one on Pentoga Road. A real mix of weather came screaming through, but thankfully, the morning was sunny and warm... too warm, really, but good enough that I could work in the garden.



I spent a lot of my time sitting between the growing beds, plucking weeds.

Parsnips

I took some time to clean all the aisles as I was tired of tripping over pieces of wood and rocks that we've used to anchor down the frost blankets when needed. Of course, if it gets cold again, I'll be hunting more rocks to carry back into the garden.

The cucumbers have grown through the holes in their trellis and I used garden twine to tie each so they can be trained to grow up the webbing.

While I was working in the garden, Mom watered the strawberries in the pyramids. Little did we know that later on Monday, Mother Nature, along with some assistance from God, would dump more than half an inch of rain in less than half an hour.

I wanted to go to Home Depot in Iron Mountain and timed our departure so that we could pick up Sargie at the Vision Center and enjoy lunch together.

Halfway through the drive, the weather turned nasty and at one point, it rained so hard that we had to pull over to the side of the road.

We did have a good lunch while talking and gabbing and all too soon, we left Sargie at the Vision Center and resumed our shopping.

One of the items purchased was an outdoors fireplace... a chiminea, I believe they are called. I've wanted one for sometime and with Mom here and Matt and Jess coming, I figured there was no time like the present.

I'm not sure where we'll put it. Eventually, it will go by the gazebo and garden pond, all yet to be built. For now, any ol' place in the back yard will do.

I spent most the afternoon constructing the chiminea... and might have muttered along the way. I'm not sure what kind of psycho designer wrote the instructions, but he's one mean, evil, sadistic, person.

None the less, I finally got the thing put together and it will be ready for the first fire in the next day or two.

I heard rumbling, some of it quite close. I walked down by the garden and saw a storm rapidly approaching from the southwest. 

Within minutes, the heavens opened and it poured.

I later talked with Yooper Brother Mark and he said that nary a drop fell in town, a mere ten miles away. 

Sargie arrived home late last evening after completing another busy day at the Vision Center. Mark came shortly after pulling their camper where Matt, Jessica, and Emmie will be sleeping.

It wasn't long before Mark had it all set up, leveled, and ready to go. With a motorized pull-out living room, it's a home more than a mere camper.

Sargie's back to work today and closes tonight; another long long day for her.

I'm going to put up a new trellis to support the two cherry tomato plants alongside the barn. After, I plan to mow the yard and finish getting ready for Matt, Jess, and Emmie's arrival. They are to land in Green Bay midmorning on Wednesday and should be here sometime in the early afternoon. Let the fun begin!

But first, it's time to get another cup of coffee and pick Mom's brain to see what deep thoughts she's thinking. I have a couple, myself, and maybe we can share a few.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Watch Out!! Biker Grandma... or in Mom's case, Biker Great Great Grandma!

June 28, 2015 - Sunday evening

66 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

That's right. Mom is the eldest of five living generations... a great great grandmother. How many other great great grandmothers do you know ask if she can go for a four-wheeler ride? We made that happen Saturday afternoon.

The firewood remaining on the trailer was finished and put away Saturday morning. Both outside sheds are full and now it's time to begin filling the brown shed.

I'd ordered new fly line and tippet (leader) from Bass Pro using part of the gift certificates that I received for my birthday and spent part of the day taking off the old and winding on the new. Time was also spent rearranging the tackle boxes.

Yes, Mom really did ask sometime ago if we might go for a four-wheeler ride. In the tradition of my Grandma Reinhardt, Mom's mother, who while in her senior years, asked if I might take her for a motorcycle ride, I put a helmet on Mom and away we went.

Back to Grandma Reihardt... I was in college and home for the weekend. Grandma and Grandpa were visiting and I noticed Grandma was looking at my motorcycle. When I kiddingly asked if she wanted to go for a spin, she didn't hesitate to accept.

I was a considerate and respectful grandson, so we putted down the road. After a while, I noticed Grandma was simply riding and didn't seem to be enjoying herself. I stopped and asked if she were okay. She replied that there was no joy in going so slow and what she really wanted was to have some fun off the road.

What was a grandson to do? I told her to hang on as I twisted the throttle wide open and took off across an open field and up a fairly steep hill. What I most remember is Grandma, her house dress hiked as high as necessary for her to sit on the motorcycle seat, whooping and laughing as we flew through the waist-high grass and into the woods. (This is the same grandma who sent me a burned bra in the early 70's when women's lib first became popular, but that's a story for another time.)

So, in the spirit of Grandma Reinhardt, Mom and I made good time going down the road, turned towards town on the four-wheeler trail, and traveled several miles. Before the ride was over, we also went down to the Brule River, and finally came back home. 

Sargie was home early last night and we enjoyed brats done on the grill, chips, and beet greens. We were all tired and bedtime came fairly early Saturday night.

Either there are prehistoric caveman hieroglyphics on the side of our burn barrel or raccoons visited during the night. 

I was up early Sunday morning and fishing on one of my favorite lakes shortly after sunrise.

Unfortunately, the fish didn't cooperate. I threw everything in tackle box, umpteen lures, threw a few flies and poppers, and even tried an old fashioned bobber and worm. I picked up a few fish, but nothing worth bringing home. My fishing mojo is currently less than 100%. It'll be back... sooner or later... I hope. I am no longer able to make those accurate casts that I once did, so the fish have to come to me. They stayed home this morning.

I'd planted some bush beans a few weeks ago and discovered in the past few days that they are really pole beans. I like to think the package was mislabeled, but I very well might have misread it.

Whatever the reason, a trellis needed to be built. With Mom's help we built one.

After building the trellis, I picked the rest of the honey berries. We had quite a few more this year than last. When the bushes are fully mature, five to seven years of age, we can expect each bush to bear five to ten lbs a year. This year, I picked a small fraction of that amount.

Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri's son, Jerad, talked with me the other night saying that Mark and Sheri's daughter, Sarah, and granddaughter, Isabella, were going to surprise her parents by flying in from Wyoming. Jerad asked if we'd be at the house Sunday afternoon to help celebrate and take a few pictures. 

It was wonderful. Both Grandma and Grandpa Stauber were so surprised and we were honored and lucky to be a part of their family celebration.

We left soon after Sarah and Isabella arrived so Grandma and Grandpa could enjoy their company. We'll see mama and baby later before they fly back to Wyoming.

We did a bit of shopping this afternoon and after a short ride, came home and enjoyed a meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. 

This evening was spent watching the Glen Campbell special on CNN about his battle with Alzheimers and his final tour. What a musician and performer he's been for over forty years. It was a bitter sweet video that was so good, yet so difficult to watch at times.

Sargie's back to work tomorrow. No doubt, Mom and I will find some project or the other to work on. We're birds of a feather in that category.

After all, a man's (and a great great grandmother's) work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

June 27, 2015 - Saturday 
47 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

And just like that, Mom's birthday has come and gone, but we sure celebrated her 88th last night by meeting Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri at one of our local establishments to enjoy an all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry.



Oh we ate... oh yes, we ate plenty. Mom chowed down, as we all did, and I think Mark and I had seven or eight pieces of fish each. The best part was sitting and talking before and during dinner. It was a fun evening.



Mom spent most of yesterday supervising my work load, but then as we all know... never mind, I won't say it.

I'd promised her I'd make cranberry English muffins, something she thoroughly relishes. It seems they can only be purchased during the Christmas season so we turned the clock ahead (or behind) yesterday and I began the day by mixing the ingredients with flour and yeast and started the process of letting the dough rise, then pounding it senseless, letting it rise, pounding it again, and repeating the cycle several times.

Later in the morning, I finally began cutting out the English muffins and frying them.



I don't like to brag, but they came out tasting pretty good. 



Of course, there's nothing better than a freshly fried, hot, English muffin coated with butter accompanied by a glass of cold milk.

I'd ordered several perennials to plant in the beds in front of the house last week. They arrived the day before yesterday and it was time to get them in the ground. I thought it would be a simple matter. I thought wrong.

Under Mom's careful supervision (she sat on the porch swing) I dug up one bed, ridded it of most tree roots, then began planting. It sounds simple, but the process took almost three hours... just to plant six or eight perennials. Nobody ever accused me of doing something half way, but that was borderline ridiculous. Oh well, it's done. Just three more beds to go.

We took a break mid-afternoon and ate lunch. Mom watched an old episode of Gun Smoke on television while I sat in my recliner, closed my eyes and did some deep thinking. 

Later, I installed a program on Mom's computer which allows me to access it remotely. We had one on her old laptop that allowed me to help when she encountered a digital difficulty, but had yet to do anything with her newer one. 

Years ago, when I lived in the arctic and Mom lived in Florida, I was able to assist her remotely. Mom loved the fact that she could sit in front of the screen and watch the cursor move, being controlled by someone thousands of miles away via satellite internet powered by solar panels. At that time, I lived in the cabin, seventeen miles from my closest neighbor.

I spent a couple of hours on Friday and got about half the trailer of wood worked up. Once again, Mom supervised, this time from a lawn chair.

Sargie's working early today. I thought about going fishing early and being back home by midmorning, but I think I'd rather stay home and finish the wood. I planted a row of (what were supposed to be) bush beans that are sending out runners. It appears they are pole beans and that means I need to build another trellis for them to climb on.

The garden is full of weeds. All the rain we've received in the past couple of weeks has caused everything in the garden to grow, weeds included.

It appears we're not going to have many strawberries or apples this year. The nineteen degree temperature we experienced three weeks ago seemed to have frozen all the blossoms. It's going to be a fruitless year. 

Time to get the day started. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

A few strawberries are beginning to ripen in the planters

June 26, 2015 - Friday

46 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Born in 1927, Mama is 88 years old today. I remember back when anyone over 70 years of age was considered old and pretty much washed up. Then 80 became the new 60... and in Mom's case, 88 is the 30. I don't know how she does it, but the older Mom gets, the younger she becomes. I really hope I'm just like her when I grow up. Happy birthday, Mom!

Mom's giving Brutus his morning Denta Stik "for whiter teeth and a fresher breath. "

I'm feeling sad this morning. I see where nine people died in a plane crash in SE Alaska near Ketchikan. The charter float plane company, Promech, is one I frequently used while flying around the islands in Southeast and I got to know the pilots quite well. I'd sit in the lobby drinking free coffee, using their internet to grade papers and conduct university business while waiting for the weather to clear. I wish bad things wouldn't happen to good people.

It was a rainy day on Thursday. Mom and Sargie were sitting in the living room gabbing so I took the opportunity to sneak out to the barn and work on the deck of the mower. Though I try to blame Sargie, I have to admit that I slammed into a couple of rocks and a tree stump on Tuesday when I mowed the yard and trails, almost ripping a couple of small wheels off the deck. 

I had to remove the deck from the tractor, sand, grind, take pictures, sand and grind some more, and finally, weld the brackets holding the wheels back into place. 

When putting the deck back on the tractor, I noticed that I'd also knocked the cable that raises and lowers the deck off the pulleys. It took some time, but I finally got that realigned. The cable is badly worn from the years of hard use and hopefully, it will last for the rest of this mowing season. I'll replace it this winter when I'm looking for projects to keep me busy.

The weather cleared somewhat so we went for a ride around the area.

Unfortunately, we didn't go too far before it clouded up again and began pouring.

It made no difference. We still had a good time, eating ice cream cones and sipping cokes while seeing the sights. 

Last night was spent talking and watching television. I became so disgusted while watching a cheesy new game show called Boom. Normally, I wouldn't insult my intelligence by watching such nonsense, but there were three contestants from Iron Mountain. The game show was terrible, but what really offended me was how these young men, who were players, and the network tried to make anyone who lives in this area sound stupid and backwards. They kept referring to Iron Mountain as a teeny backwoods town. I don't know... I guess some people will say anything for their fifteen seconds of fame. They certainly got theirs, but I can hardly wait to read the letters to the editor in tonight's daily paper. And hey, the three men won $240,000 in fifteen minutes. It pays handsomely to insult your hometown and friends on national television.

Bedtime came fairly early as Sargie works early today. I hope to work up the trailer full of wood and Mom, well, no doubt Mom will supervise. If I don't watch her, she'll be in there with gloves on helping to fill the shed full of fire wood. 

We're going out with Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri to celebrate Mom's birthday this evening. What could be better than a good old-fashioned, all-you-can-eat, Friday night fish fry?

So with all that being said, it's time to begin the day. After all, everyone knows that a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

You can't have her. She's mine.

June 25, 2015 - Thursday

61 degrees/rain showers/calm winds

Pentoga Road

And just like that, Mom bounced down the steps from the small commuter jet and into the terminal in Iron Mountain to be with us for the next couple of weeks. I hope I've got Mom's aging gene... the one that allows a person to become younger as the years progress. 

We stopped by the Vision Center to see Sargie and were pleasantly surprised to learn that she'd arranged to take the rest of the day off. Mom and Sargie rode home together. I followed close behind.

Our championship ski jump slide as seen from the runway in Iron Mountain

Mmm, burgers on the grill, sweet corn, watermelon... what better way to begin Mom's visit than to celebrate with a real summer-type meal? Even the rain held off until I took the last hamburger off the grill. 

Brutus was almost beside himself when he saw Mom get out of the car. It was like he couldn't believe his eyes... Grandma came just to see him!

I have to back up a bit and say the day began less than perfect. After enjoying a cup of coffee with Neighbor Mike, I came home, ran the vacuum over the rugs, cleaned the Blazer, and readied myself to go to the airport. 

As I was backing past the trailer, I failed to see a stick of wood hanging out over the side and managed to rip the rearview mirror off the car.

Of all the wood in the trailer, it had to be protruding out at that exact height. Naturally, I didn't see the darn thing.

This is the same mirror that I'd fixed in Sitka four years ago. Uncle Bobby helped me after we'd pulled it into an old airplane hanger on campus, glued, caulked, and clamped it. It's lasted well over the years.

It was past time to leave. I didn't want Mom waiting at the airport, wondering where I was. What to do?

Of course, epoxy and C clamps. I hurriedly mixed a batch, smeared it on the piece holding the mirror, and fastened it in place with two clamps.

Within minutes, I was on the road.

Last evening was spent talking and laughing... and eating. Neighbor Mike called from his home in Marquette and asked if I'd check his newly made electric fence, patterned after my own. I rode up on the four-wheeler between rain storms with my electric meter in hand.  An adjustment here, and tweak there, and soon, I increased the intensity from 3,000 watts to 7,000. I doubt he'll have any more deer intrusions.

Bedtime came early last night. Mom had gotten only three hours of sleep the night before, Sargie had opened Wednesday, and I had ripped the mirror off the car, something that took a great deal of skill and cunning.

I'm not sure what's on the agenda for today. I mentioned a bit ago that there's a trailer full of wood, should Mom want to begin unloading it... you know, see if she got her money's worth from having that heart bypass operation a year ago after helping to unload wood while visiting. She mentioned the fact that it's raining, but I told her I'm sure we have a raincoat that will fit her. 

And so we laugh and continue to be silly and enjoy each other's company... but other than pure love, isn't that what family is all about? It is here on Pentoga Road.

The flowers in the planters made from fireworks launchers continue to bloom and become more full.

Time to get moving and look busy before Sargie and Mom dream up a job or two for me to do. Why would they? Because they know that a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...