I snapped this picture through the living room window of this fawn that sauntered up to the electric deer fence and thought he'd attempt to graze in the garden. The 9,000 volt zap to his nose caused him to change his mind.

It's summertime in the UP. Though we had a nice rain early Saturday morning, the sun came out and the temperature soared. Combined with a high humidity, it was miserable, so much so, that I hauled the air conditioner from the basement and installed it in the living room.

Flopping it on the couch is the easy part. Wrestling the heavy beast through the window is the killer.

I don't think we've used the unit for the past two summers and yesterday, it ran for only two or three hours before it cooled down outside and we opened the windows to let the fresh air blow through.

Saturday morning began with a tour through the garden. Everything seemed so fresh and crisp and what I wouldn't give to be able to preserve the smell of the garden right after the rain, to be released a bit at a time this coming winter. 

I picked a bowl of sugar snap peas. We enjoy eating them fresh and raw, pea pod and all. 

Next came the carrots. Sargie takes several in her lunch daily and these smaller ones are so sweet and crisp.

I had plans to can pickled beets Saturday morning, but decided to let them grow a bit. Still, I found enough to enjoy for a meal or two in the meantime.

A mammoth sunflower had blown over during a thunderstorm last week and was lying directly across one of the paths. At first I was going to simply pull it, but since it was over six feet tall, I decided to try to keep it upright using a line, much like one would a fruit tree that insists on growing crooked. I hope it straightens out.

After, I harvested more kohlrabi and zucchini squash. 

We keep our fresh vegetables in the refrigerator and simply grab what we want to eat when we walk by. After the bowl is empty, often in one or two days, I return to the garden and fill it again. When we begin to get too many vegetables to eat fresh, the canning and freezing begins.

Though it's really too early to tell if the hand pollination of the giant pumpkin was successful, it has tripled in size in the past three days. Should it remain on the stem when the flower is dropped, I'll know this could be the one that ends up on Marley and Aubrey's doorstep at Halloween. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

I moved from the garden to the trailer and began unloading firewood.

Rather than do it all at once, I decided to work until it became too hot. About a third was unloaded.

This wood will be burned in 2016. I'll cover it with a tarp to keep from rotting.

The heat and humidity were getting uncomfortable. I moved into the barn, sat in front of the fan, and whittled on a piece I've been working on for sometime. 

I'm not sure who he is or his purpose in life, but I love this old guy. I'm not a carver by any definition of the word. Relief carving is my favorite and rather than being a purist, using only knives and chisels, I use a combination of knives, chisels, and a Dremel. 

Tiring and frustrated from working on the old man's beard, I measured and reinforced a base for an inexpensive plastic chest of drawers that had collapsed under it's own weight.

Sargie purchased a couple of them when we joined forces three years ago to be used to keep some of our seasonal clothing in the basement. 

A piece of scrap particle board was screwed to the bottom. The biggest challenge was attaching the casters. Still, with the right drill bit, they were eventually fastened and working.

The dresser is back in the basement, the drawers full, but in no danger of once again collapsing.

And so the day flew by, one small job after another. Sargie was home early last night and after watering the flowers, we contented ourselves by watching the Brett Favre induction ceremony into the Packer's Hall of Fame and his number being retired. Somehow, without Brett at the helm, Sunday afternoon Packers games aren't quite as exciting. 

Sargie's off today and I think it's going to be a lazy one. Maybe we'll take a drive somewhere or the other, possibly we'll just hang out. 

It's time to grab another cup of coffee and make the rounds in the garden, see what grew overnight.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...