Today's photos taken by Grandma Sargie

November 4, 2015 - Wednesday
35 degrees/very foggy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I'm going to try to get this uploaded before Grady wakes. Once that happens, writing is pretty much out of the question. Sargie will be dropping him off at his mother's house in Iron Mountain on her way to work this morning.

There's nothing quite as good as getting in bed with Grandma and Grandpa first thing in the morning

Tuesday morning was spent finishing the trim and caulking on the solar heater. At one point, it was discharging air into the shop that ranged from 150 to 200 degrees.

I lucked out and found a small, four-inch, inexpensive, fan at Ace Hardware in town. Even better, it easily mounted directly in front of the discharge duct in the shop and blows out about three times more volume. I learned that the previous eight- inch fan was pulling negative air pressure in the solar heater and wasn't working all that well. I'm optimistic that problem has been solved.



The rest of the morning was spent in the garden, digging taters, carrots, and beets.



I'm disappointed in the potato harvest this year. They simply aren't the quality we hoped they'd be and those grown in the pots seem to have become infested with some sort of worm that burrowed in and left only the outer shell. I think the critters came in with the leaves I used for mulch. It's back to the drawing board for next year's crop.



The carrots and beets both produced quality, bumper, crops. No complaints on either.





Page two

With Grady's help, we raked the leaves from around the wood sheds.










... and later hauled them into the woods.





Grady loves to ride anything motorized with his grandpa. With temperatures in the 70's, the pint-sized leaf-raker would have been happy to have skipped the work and simply ridden around all afternoon... with, or without, Grandpa.



It was two tired grandparents, an exhausted little boy, and a weary bulldog, who turned in early last night. Brutus was growing tired of dodging Grady's affections and was trying to stay out of his way. 

At one point early yesterday morning, Brutus was eating from his bowl. I heard a growl and looked up to find Grady had crawled between his legs from the back and on his way to the food bowl, had reached up and gave anything that might have been dangling overhead a good tug. 

Grady laughed, Brutus growled and looked cross-eyed, and Grandpa sighed. In the end, everyone made up and went on to have a good day.

They're having a boy to bulldog conversation that only they can understand.

We enjoyed pork steaks done on the grill last night along with winter squash. Both were excellent.

Neighbor Mike has determined that we're going fishing, so that's on this morning's agenda. There's a downed maple tree to haul in and work up this afternoon.

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

Grady's about all done in after a long day of playing outside.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...