Sometimes the prettiest flower in the yard is attached to something as simple as a Butternut Squash plant.

August 4, 2015 - Tuesday

55 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Today is Pour Day on Pentoga Road. The big concrete vehicle will be pulling up to the deck/patio area and things will be shaking and moving. 

The vehicle? My wheelbarrow. Shaking and moving? That'll be me mixing the concrete with a hoe in one hand, the garden hose in the other. I might buzz my lips and make motor sounds so I feel like the big boys who pour cement for a living.

Monday was a busy one. I hung out a couple of loads of laundry that Sargie had started before she left for work.

Next came measuring and pounding stakes for the future walk and patio. 

I knew I was in trouble when attempting to pound stakes and several broke as they hit rocks and boulders directly under the surface. 

The rest of the day was spent digging. I thought about using the backhoe, but I didn't want to dig that far down; just three inches. Still, by afternoon's end, I used a pry bar as much as I did the shovel.

It took some real muttering and no small amount of effort, but in the end, the area was made ready. 

I hope to begin with a circular pattern in the middle of the widest part and expand out. That's where the chiminea (outdoor fireplace) will be. Only problem... I'm not sure how that pattern will work with the cobblestone mold. Plans call for a short flower box on the deck from the garage to the step and a railing coming down alongside the step. Stay tuned. Things like that tend to change as progress continues.

The area was finally leveled and raked smooth. I decided to reward myself by doing something enjoyable and walked to the garden.

The cantaloupes are beginning to set. Like everything else in the garden, its success depends on when the first frost arrives. So far/so good. This is a Minnesota Midget, a short season/northern variety.

Jalapeno peppers are doing well. It'll soon be time to freeze some and pickle the rest.

The sweet bell peppers are setting on. With last week's heatwave and the recent rains, they are very sweet and crunchy, just like we like them!

The petunias in the two pipe planters I made this past spring have done well, but despite pinching and "dead heading" the plants have become spindly with the leaves getting smaller, the vines longer, and the flowers not nearly as pretty.

At one point, a couple of weeks ago, I could barely see the planter for the flowers.

I called sister-in-law, Nancy, a certified Petuniaologist, who used to work in a nursery/flower shop. Her advice was to clip them much shorter, causing them to become bushy and full.

I brought the planters to the barn, grabbed the hand clippers, and gave each a haircut.

Liquid fertilizer and water was applied after and now it's a matter of waiting. 

The last chore of the day was to bury the root nodes that appear along the vines of the giant pumpkin plant. I waded into the forest primeval with trowel in hand and covered several. 

The twice a day regimen now includes watering the entire plant, not just the base. It's currently receiving four gallons a day, two in the morning, two in the evening, along with Miracle Grow and Epsom Salts included in each watering.

Sargie was home before 7 last night and we had a quiet evening. The papers and final projects are winding down for the summer session and it's difficult to believe that after Friday, my teaching days will be over. I think I'm going to enjoy not reading quite so much.

Sargie works early today. I'm going to head out the door fairly soon, feed the beast (the pumpkin,) then begin mixing concrete. 

Deep thoughts? Not today. I'm too busy.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Just once, I'd like to do something that Brutus doesn't appear to be supervising. I didn't need his guidance between the new walk and wheel barrow.