This is what happens when I try to stuff two bowl's worth of popcorn into one. Brutus was more than happy to walk over and scarf up any that hit the floor.

November 30, 2015 - Monday
18 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

According to Carl the Weatherman, it's another wintry mix that is heading our way for late tonight into Tuesday. Up to four inches of snow? Geesh, what's he think this is, Christmastime?

Happy Birthday, Sis. Worry not, as fast as my days fly by, I'm liable to catch up to you any time now. Have a good one!

Not much in the news to report this morning. Sargie didn't have to work until noon yesterday, so other than mount the new fan for the solar heater in the shop, I hung out inside until she went to work.



Most the day was spent gluing and clamping the boards for the sign and working on a new project.



I'm not happy with how the boards came out. It seems one was warped and I didn't catch it. Though I put a large, heavy, weight, on all to keep them straight, I should have clamped them with a board going the entire width on both sides. Once it's up, no one will know except for you and me, but I'm still irked. Oh well.

I worked the rest of the day on a new project, a scroll saw/carving of a rose wrapped around a cross. It took forever to cut it out and today, I'll begin on cutting the inside pieces. That will entail drilling holes in places to be cut, taking the blade off the scroll saw, fitting it through the hole, cutting it, then taking it off, and beginning another area. It's time consuming, that's for certain.

Sargie arrived home early last night and we spent the evening munching popcorn and watching television. I also spent the time surfing the internet looking at various carving patterns. Now that the weather is declining, it's nice to have a warm place in which to play.... 'er, work. 

Sargie opens today. I'm going to walk my three miles then build a fire in the smoker and start that process. It will take most the day to cure the turkey breast and loin. After that, I'll be back in the shop laboring away at one project or the other.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Brutus is so confused after we rearranged the living room. He tries to lie in the places he used to and finds a couch, chair, or table, in his way. Yesterday, he pushed me into the coffee table. I think he forgot we moved it.

It was a long day of arranging and rearranging, but in the end, the living room is ready to be decorated for Christmas.

November 29, 2015 - Sunday
7 degrees/sunny/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I'm enjoying sitting in the living room, writing this morning; the sun shining on my back, allowing me to soak up all its heat. It would be so easy to close my eyes and take a nap... to drift off into Never Never Land. I have a galloping case of the lazies. 

Saturday morning was, indeed, a lazy one. Sargie and I fiddled around in the house, not really doing much. It took a while to carry everything related to Grady (mostly his toys, high chair, and fire gate) back out to the storage shed.



I caught word that there might be a Grady/Grandpa day in the near future, so everything will be hauled back in at that time. On the other hand, if the weather is decent and there's enough ice, we might just go ice fishing. Stay tuned on that one. 

Speaking of ice, we have a good base that has frozen on many of the area lakes.

There's at least an inch of ice, but it formed so smooth and the water is so clear that if it weren't for the natural cracks, one would never know there was ice covering the water. 

I tried to crack the ice by throwing a fairly good-sized stone onto it. The rock merely bounced off and skidded away.

My ice fishing hormones reawakened after eight long months. It's getting to be that time of year!

Above the dam at Clark's Landing in Crystal Falls, Michigan

Sargie and I took a wonderful drive Saturday afternoon. 

Other than checking on ice conditions, we purchased a loin and a turkey breast at our local grocery, all on sale, to be placed in the smoker later today or tomorrow. I'm going to smoke this meat entirely over hardwood, forgoing the use of any charcoal. It's so much easier to smoke the meat and put it in the freezer, then take it out when needed and warm it; convenient for Sargie's late working hours.

We've been talking about rearranging the living room for quite a while. It's a nice size, but we've often wished it were two feet bigger all-round. Someday, we plan to add a bedroom and den onto the first floor, basically pushing the dining room and living room towards the garden another twenty feet and adding a wrap-around porch around that side of the house, from the front porch to the back deck. For now, we'll make do with what we have.

My old recliner was the first thing to go. I purchased it several years ago thinking that bigger meant better. What it meant for me was more uncomfortable. Though cushy and large, it always hit my back and neck in the wrong places giving me a back and headache and was so large that my feet couldn't touch the floor when sitting upright. The recliner was carted to the barn and will be put on Craigslist this coming week. It's still in great shape and I think for a larger person, it would be good. Someone is going to get a great deal.

The moving of furniture began. How about putting the couch here. No? There? No? Back here again? You sure? No? Okay? Back?

We lifted, we hoisted, I verbally held my tongue a few times... and then there were a few times I didn't. I didn't have to sleep in the barn last night, so I must have done okay.

In the end, the living room was rearranged and Sargie even got the Christmas tree put up. She'll decorate it in the near future.

We spent last evening watching a Bruce Willis shoot-'em-up movie, my kind of flick. It was going on midnight before we called it a day.

Sargie works from noon to five this afternoon. I'm going to work in the shop, replacing the fan on the solar heater. The small one I purchased a few weeks ago has already broken. Hopefully, the hardware store will exchange it or give me a refund. Neighbor Mike gave me one he had and never used it. It will be installed today.

Oops, time for breakfast. Guess I ought to get moving and start my day.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I hope my ice shack will be sitting off that point on the left in another couple of weeks.

Grady's first walk in snow

November 27, 2015 - Friday evening

5 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

It's nippy outside this morning, but the scene looks like a picture postcard. 

It's difficult to believe I was digging rutabagas in the garden thirty-six hours earlier.

Carl the Weatherman has forecast temperatures to be in the thirties for the next several days, so we'll not complain. 

We've not used one drop of fuel oil yet this winter and the small wood stove is keeping the entire house comfy warm.

The house seems too quiet. We thought perhaps Grady could stay with us through the weekend, but discovered his mother's family had a holiday gathering last night, so just as quickly as he blew in here on Wednesday night, he flew out last evening. That's okay, we'll take the munchkin any ol' time we can have him.

We spent most of Friday simply fiddling around the house. Grady was happy and content to play with his toys and of course, hang out with his BFF Brutus.

Puppy Love

He loves tubby, 'er sink, time. The boy is about to grow out of the sink and into the bath tub.

 I spent some time with Grady teaching him how to touch his tongue to his nose. It's written in the Grandpa Handbook to do so. He's getting the basics, but has some work to do before he can chalk that off his list of accomplishments.

He was quick to grab my cell phone so he could text his homies.

After he'd awakened from a nap, Grandma Sargie dressed Grady warmly and the three of us walked up to Neighbor Mike's. Mike had called earlier saying his daughter, Amelia, had baked us a loaf of homemade bread and it was sitting on the counter. Everyone, including Mike and his family, had already departed for their home in Marquette.

Looks as though they had quite a crowd in for Thanksgiving.

Daddy had forgotten to pack any mittens, so Grandma improvised by digging around in my sock drawer and coming up with the perfect solution. These mittens were guaranteed not to fall off.

Quite the gentleman. Grady's helping Grandma across the road so she doesn't slip and fall.

Daddy and cousin, Taylor, drove in during the late afternoon. After a quick meal, Grady and the full-sized guys were heading back to Iron Mountain.

Where Grady goes, so does Brutus, especially at meal time when some morsel might fall from the tray onto the floor.

We had a quiet evening last night and were in bed fairly early. Sargie was tired and I didn't have any difficulty drifting off to sleep. 

Sargie's off today, her last for quite a while. If I had a crystal ball, I'd venture to say that I'll be carrying in boxes and totes of decorations while Sargie begins adorning our home for the Christmas season. 

Great Grandma Pennington's Christmas village is already out. Grady understands that he can look, but not touch.

So, Brutus and I will be the support team for the Decoration Committee. Other than that, no doubt we'll make our usual trip to town and take a short drive after. 

But first, it's time for that all-important cup of coffee, upload yesterday's pictures, and listen to the news.

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

Grady's dressed in his big boy, Thanksgiving Day, outfit

November 27, 2015 - Thursday

21 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's a very happy birthday greeting to my son, Luke, this morning. I know he and the family spent yesterday with Matt, Jessica, and Emerson, so I hope they celebrated not only a day of thanks, but also Luke's special day. Happy birthday, buddy. I love you.

The past two days have been good ones, but busy. Wednesday morning started by skipping my usual walk and heading right to the garden to harvest rutabagas. This year's crop was outstanding and huge. In fact, six "bagies" filled the kitchen sink.

My rutabagas aren't hard as wood like the waxed type found in the grocery store. They peel and slice much like a conventional turnip and aren't nearly as difficult to prepare.

With that being said, it still took most of the morning to work up the six, cutting them (and my finger) into chunks small enough to  boil and eventually, mash.

I also fired up the smoker early in the morning and put a small roast in to cook and cure.

Since it had been forgotten in the freezer, I wasn't sure of the finished quality, but decided it was worth a try. Smoking a piece of mediocre meat can cover a multitude of culinary sins.

I ran out of charcoal and not wanting to drive to town, finished the smoking process with partially green maple, a method I was taught by the Inupiaq while living in the Arctic Circle. (They used other local wood).

There was no need to worry. The roast came out to near perfection and the taste was out of this world. I sliced it and we ate all of it later that evening in sandwiches after Macrea, Cale, and Grady arrived to visit.

The rutabagas were ready to boil and the meat was in the smoker. It was time to make the cranberry sauce. I boiled a double bag of berries and had them sitting in the bowl cooling within an hour.

Neighbor Mike and his buddy, a retired magistrate, Mike, popped in for a visit. We talked for an hour before they departed for a final hunt of the day, Judge Mike heading to some woods across the road, Neighbor Mike walking back onto my land where a large buck was harvested two weeks ago.

There was just enough time to make a batch of cookies before Sargie arrived home from work. What kind? Pumpkin of course! It was Thanksgiving Eve.

I had just run the sweeper over the floors and fallen into my chair when Sargie walked in. The girl was happy that she had three days off in a row. The air was thick with the smell of holiday cooking, the house was (fairly) tidy, and we were in the spirit of the time. Let the holidays begin!

The boys arrived later in the evening. We gabbed and laughed and ate... Grady entertained his grandma and grandpa and it was a wonderful time.

Uncle Cale used to help care for Grady when he was a small baby, with Grady take many naps while lying on Cale's stomach. As a result, they have a close relationship.

Grandma Sargie's getting Grady ready for bed on Wednesday night.

Thursday morning brought preparations for the day to come. At one point, there were three pots of rutabagas boiling while garden potatoes were being peeled and fried for breakfast.

Macrea took charge of pouring the water off the rutabagas and mashing them. Four rutabagas were enough to feed the entire family with some left over.

The bagies are finally ready for the Thanksgiving dinner. From garden to table in twenty-four hours.

Grady had his bath and teeth brushed. He's ready to greet the day.

And now it's Grandma's turn.
C'mon Grandma, hurry up!

We left late morning for Holly and Ross's in Iron Mountain. I think the following pictures can best tell the story.

First off, a good snooze on the way to Auntie Holly's house. A bath given by Grandma Sargie can wear a guy out.

Sargie's sisters, Jeanne and Trish

Our Arab grandson, Hakim Grady Abdullah

With sister-in-law, Holly. A selfie... just like the kids.

Big people aren't the only ones who need an after-meal, Thanksgiving Day, nap. Grady sacked out by Uncle Cale right in the middle of all the action.

We bade all goodbye late in the afternoon and left in the middle of an ice/snow storm. It took an hour-and-a-half to get home, but Sargie safely drove us back to Pentoga Road. We were happy to get the Blazer unloaded and call it an evening.

We should have simply gone to bed before the Packers/Bears game. I think everyone was excited for the contest except the Packer's players. They forgot to show up. Simply put, we put in a miserable performance and lost.

I'm not sure what today will bring. I've promised Grady that we'd play in the snow and there's wood to work up and carry in. Otherwise, the day is wide open. Hmm, I wonder how Grady would do swinging a 12 lb maul? Let's see, Grady weighs a bit over twenty-five pounds, the maul weighs roughly half of that. Hmm, guess Grandpa will have to do the swinging. Grady can help carry the wood in... or ride in the wheel barrow from the wood pile.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The beached whale on my lap and I had been eating pumpkin cookies. Problem was, I went to bed at 10 PM and slept well.
I couldn't figure out why Sargie was a bit upset with me Thursday morning. I guess Grady got a sugar high from the cookies and didn't allow his grandma to go to bed until 1 AM.