Grady and the giant pumpkin

August 31, 2015 - Monday morning

63 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

Highs are forecast for this coming week to be in the mid to upper 80's with storms and rain almost every afternoon. We can always use the rain, but the heat and storms can stay away. It's getting awfully late in the year for this type of summer weather in the North Country. As Neighbor Mike said on Saturday morning when talking about the impending fall and winter ahead, "We're on borrowed time." Yes we are.

Sunday was a typically busy one with Grady here. We had a ball, Grandma Sargie, Grady, and I. 

The three of us took a two-mile stroll up the road and Grady kept us entertained by gabbing nonstop. Of course, neither Sargie or I could figure out what he was saying, but the lingo was intermixed with all sorts of giggles and antics, enough to make us laugh.

I took some time to work on the shop and with Sargie's help, began putting the 4x8 sheets up overhead for the attic floor.

Sargie helped me to get them in place from down below and of course, Grady supervised in his nonstop munchkin jargon that only he could understand.

The three of us fed the pumpkin last night and when Grady saw it, his eyes became the size of saucers. There's little doubt that he thought it was grown just for his entertainment. 

I later tried measuring the pumpkin and I can't get an accurate measurement. I don't have a cloth tape measure long enough and the metal tape measure isn't flexible enough. All I know for certain is it's well over 300 and not yet 500 lbs. With the warm weather that is forecast, it could reach that by week's end, even with the split vine.

Macrea arrived during the early evening and we had a good chat before gathering Grady's things and waving as they drove away.

Sargie's back to work today. I'm going to walk first thing this morning then get as much done on the shop as possible before it gets too hot, probably around noon. With a high of 88 forecast, I'll probably spend the warmest part of the day sitting in the shade until the shadows begin to get long and it's cool enough to resume work. 

So that's the happenings from our end of the world. It's time to get a cup of coffee and listen to the news.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Saturday was opening day of the season and grandson, Coleman, was ready.

August 31, 2015 - Sunday morning
60 degrees/hazy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

Saturday was a busy one on Pentoga Road. I received the picture of Coleman from my son, Luke. He was dressed in his game jersey and ready to take the field for the first time this year... or in his young career. Coleman did well, I'm told. He put a killer block on a defensive man to spring a runner and later, made a great tackle. 

Right now, we're making plans for Coleman to attend Notre Dame on a football scholarship, then be drafted by the Packers... probably starting as middle inside linebacker.

But first, it was time to get some last-minute instructions from Mom.

I later asked Coleman how his team did. I believe his exact words were, "Grandpa, we smoked them." I think that means they won.

While waiting for Grady, I worked on the shop and managed to get the exterior of the north wall completed.

The biggest problem is what to do with the tools during construction. Here, I'm simply piling everything from the work bench into plastic bins and stacking them out of the way.

I cleaned off the workbench sitting in front of, what will be, the four foot door. Sargie later helped me move the bench. The next task will be to build the large service door through which a snowmobile or four wheeler can be driven so they can be worked on during the cold months.

And just like that, the area is clean

Grady reentered my life yesterday around noon. I felt sorry for the little guy. He was with Daddy and sound asleep when he left home and woke up at Grandma and Grandpa's house with Grandpa being the only one around. 

Still, his first reaction was a big smile as he put his arms out for Grandpa to hold him.

Grandma Sargie made arrangements to leave work early and the three of us made a quick trip to town soon after she arrived home.

Snowsuits were on sale and Grandma Sargie found a good one at the right price. Grady will be ready to go ice fishing with Grandpa when the time arrives.

It was sandbox time. Grady's face lit up when he saw the bright colors of the tire and within seconds, he was digging with the best of them. 

Who's having the most fun, Grady or Grandma Sargie?!

We played in the yard after and enjoyed the evening. Grady was content to explore every nook and cranny he came across.

It was time to get cleaned up and ready ourselves for the Packer preseason home opener against Philadelphia. It's been many years since I took a shower with a little one, just a quick one to get the sand washed off. 

When my four sons were little, it seemed more like an assembly line as one after the other paraded through to shower with Dad. Occasionally, they came all at once. I well remember having Josh come running through, followed by Luke and Matt standing in front of me, pushing me out of the water, all while holding Andy in my arms. Ah the good old days.

After a minute or two, I handed Grady back out to Sargie. She later gave him a good washing in the sink. 

Squeaky clean and dressed in Clay Matthews jerseys, Grandpa and Grady are ready to cheer on their favorite team.

So the day ended with the Packers looking horrible and losing, but we had fun none-the-less.

Grady was in bed by 9 last night and is still sleeping. Grandma Sargie's getting an extra hour or two of slumber and I'm enjoying the peace and quiet.

Macrea will be pulling in later today. I'm going to hang out with Grady and Grandma, maybe sneak out to the shop and build the service door... who knows.

Well, I know one thing. A man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The first exterior wall is covered on the outside

August 29, 2015 - Saturday morning

57 degrees/clear/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I don't have a lot of time to write this morning. I'll be riding partway to work with Sargie then walking back home before Grady-time begins. Yup, Grandpa and Grady are hanging out in the hood today.

I hit the floor running Friday morning. I had a meeting at 9 AM and after, pulled the trailer to the local concrete plant where I got a load of sand. I was back home by midmorning, changed my clothes, and snagged Neighbor Mike to help me get the Ford tractor unstuck from between two trees.

I thought I was in a different place and drove between the wrong two trees on Thursday, wedging the tractor, only to have it die. When I attempted to start it, the battery was dead.

The old pickup truck didn't let me down. The tractor was freed in no time.

I got busy shoveling sand. The concrete plant had given me enough to make a large beach, all I needed was the lake.

 It was surprising how much sand it took to fill the tire and scatter some around the immediate area. The rest was put in a pile out of the way at the edge of the woods for future use.

The rest of the day was spent working on the shop. It felt good to finally get one wall covered. My biggest joy was the fact that each stud was exactly on center meaning the edge and center of every 4x8 sheet hit where it was supposed to. 

For anyone who knows what they are doing, it wouldn't be a big deal, but for me, it was a major accomplishment, a victory. I hope the rest is as easy.

Sargie was home early and we went into town for a burger. Neither of us had any trouble falling asleep last night.

Today's going to be a busy one. Sargie opens the Vision Center and has made arrangements to leave work early. She wants to spend some Grandma-time with the boy munchkin. 

I hope to take my walk first thing this morning before Grady time. After? Well, other than doing a bit of laundry, we'll be messing around here, playing in the sandbox, spitting and whittling... you know, doing guy-stuff. I may put him in the stroller and we'll walk up to the lake and throw some rocks in the water. Of course, there's the mandatory four-wheeler ride through Neighbor Mike's fields and our woods. I'd like to continue work on the shop, but Grady's a bit small to hand me those 4x8 sheets so I can cover the attic floor. 

Time to quit writing. It's light enough that I can go feed the pumpkin and see what's new in the garden.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Grady's got a new sandbox... 'er tire

August 28, 2015 - Friday

57 degrees/clear/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I could hardly believe it last night when I stepped on the scales and found I had finally reached my usual summer weight, 205 pounds. 

Losing weight used to be easy. Come April and May, the winter's excess seemed to slide off my body and not be seen again until the following December. I laughed back then. After all, didn't a man need a little extra insulation to keep him warm during the coldest months? 

As the years have progressed, so has the amount of time it's taken to shed the extra pounds. They have been very reluctant to leave and each has insisted on overstaying its welcome.

So, for the umpteenth year in a row, I'm making a resolution that this year:

I will not gain the usual winter weight 

I will practice moderation 

My eating habits will be exemplary

Yeah... and I'm going to pass up Sargie's French meat pie, Holly's holiday pastries, and forego a late evening bowl of hot, buttered, popcorn while sitting by the wood stove listening to the howling wind pounding heavy snow against our windows? Fat chance. 

Page Two 

It was pretty exciting yesterday on Pentoga Road where I allowed a tire to kick the poopies out of me. (Now I know where the weight went.)

After my morning walk, I hitched the trailer to the Blazer and went to Yooper Brother Mark's plant to get an old loader tire, one of several that had been discarded sometime ago.

I was impressed when Mark bent over and grabbed the thing, then straightened it upright and rolled it onto the trailer.

When I arrived home, the first order of business was to take the high pressure washer and remove years of mud and grime.

I truly believed that I could remove the tire in the same manner as Mark loaded it; that I'd hoist it upright and roll the thing out of the trailer. All I can say is, Mark's more man than me.

I fired up the tractor and used the front-end loader.

Much of the remaining day was spent painting the tire. There were "dabs" of paint that had been sitting around for several years, those left over that had been used on various projects. I've wanted to get rid of the old paint for a long time and the tire made a perfect excuse.

And so the day went. The backhoe was hauled to the front of the property and put into service.

I was soon excavating a new play area that will eventually be boxed in with treated lumber and filled with wood chips. A swing, slide, and play area are in the plans for next summer.

It was late afternoon, almost evening, before the tire was settled into the ground with dirt raked and packed beside it.

Other than a few garden chores, it was the tire that consumed my day. I was sore and tired last night from manhandling the heavy monster all day.

Speaking of heavy monster... despite a split stem, it continues to grow. I'm still feeding the pumpkin four gallons of secret, highly-classified, ingredients a day.

Sargie was home early and it was a short evening before going to bed. She was tired and I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I have an appointment first thing this morning and will be dragging the trailer behind to later fill with sand. I heard rumors that Grandpa and Grady are going to hang out and spend some quality guy-time together on Saturday. We might as well do it around the sandbox... or tire.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sandhill cranes

A low of 35 degrees and scattered frost was forecast for Wednesday night.

August 27, 2015 - Thursday morning

47 degrees/very foggy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I was up very early this morning so I might begin spraying water over the garden before daylight in a last-ditch effort to save everything from being killed by frost. 

It appears a miracle happened overnight. When we went to bed, the moon was bright, the air calm, and the thermometer was in a nose dive with scattered frost in the forecast. I spent some of last evening covering what I could and making plans to get up early so I could spray water over the entire garden in hopes of lessening any frost damage.

According to what's currently online, it's 33 degrees in Crystal Falls, ten miles away, yet 49 degrees is showing on our thermometer here on Pentoga Road.

It appears heavy fog settled in our valley overnight and must acting as a blanket, insulating the ground. 

I believe in miracles. In fact, I've had a few happen to me over the years. For this most recent miracle that allows us to stretch the growing season a few more days or weeks, I'm very grateful. 

Fall isn't far away

Wednesday was a busy one. The day dawned sunny and pleasant and with that, I stepped off two-and-a-half miles like clockwork. 

There was a pile of cucumbers sitting on the counter and a large bag of green beans in the refrigerator. 

It was too nice of a day to stay inside canning and freezing, but I couldn't let the fresh vegetables go to waste.

I washed, sliced, and made several quarts of pickles. With over thirty quarts stuffed into Mason Jars this summer, I'm about pickled out.

The next order of business was washing, snapping, blanching, and freezing, the green beans. My back was aching from leaning over the sink, so I finally pulled up a chair and did everything in comfort.

The doorbell rang. It was Neighbor Mike who handed me a large pail of freshly picked blackberries. We talked for a while and I gladly accepted his generous gift.

 

Later, the berries were washed, sugared, and put into freezer bags to eat this coming winter.

The kitchen was a mess. Just as I was beginning to clean, I remembered the blueberries in the refrigerator that needed to be washed and frozen. As long as I was playing home maker, I decided to get those out of the way.

It was well into the afternoon before I got out to the shop. The first order of business was to temporarily hang one of the new ceiling lights in the shop so when the siding is hung, there'll be enough light on the inside to work.

I'm really impressed with the newer LED fixtures. They aren't the dim ones that at best, are no better than a single candle. These are actually outside security lights, but my requirements make them the perfect choice for inside lighting. This particular model emits a billion, gajillion, lumens with only fifty watts of power. There will be two hanging in the 12x18 shop and should provide more than enough overhead light.

I began hanging OSB particle board on the outside wall late in the afternoon. It's going to be a bit of a challenge as the floor not only slopes from east to west, but also from north to south. The slope translates into a quarter of an inch here, a bit more there. 



Still, everything seems to be matching up well enough that a bit of trim should cover any gaps. 



Sargie had to close the Vision Center last night so I wasn't in any hurry to come inside. With the remaining daylight, I managed to mow the front and back lawns. 

Today should be a bit slower. Sargie opens the Vision Center which means we should have a nice evening together. I'll take my walk this morning then I think I'll hook up the trailer and go get that large tire from Yooper Mark's plant. It should make a perfect sandbox for Grady.

I hope to spend the rest of the day installing the siding on the exterior walls. I can't do anything on the interior until I get the insulation and electric done. Those two things will be next.

This buck deer wasn't even tempted to graze in the garden which means he was probably introduced to the electric deer fence earlier this season.

Meanwhile, it's time to grab a cup of coffee and think about waking Sargie so she can begin her day.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sargie and Brutus all snugged up the night before last. Brutus makes the best foot and leg warmer as long as you don't have to get up in a hurry.