The old refrigerator passed away Thursday afternoon. Burial will be later today... as soon as it gets carted off.

December 4, 2015 - Friday
24 degrees/clear/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I was sitting here early yesterday morning, relaxed, calm, serene, and full of love and warm, fuzzy, feelings. This morning, I'm simmering and attempting to apply everything I ever learned from the millions of 12-step meetings I attended in my former life.  

I walked into the kitchen late Thursday afternoon and wondered why a puddle of water was lying on the floor. I tracked the rivulet to the refrigerator, then to the freezer overhead. It was almost room temperature inside. Thankfully, the meat hadn't completely thawed, but water was sitting in the ice cube trays.

I hurriedly made room for what I could in our two chest freezers. Both are filled with vegetables, meat, and berries, all items we hoarded and saved all summer in preparation for the year ahead. Still, except for several packs of frozen fish, everything found a home.

I went to the internet for do-it-yourself fixes. I tried them all. Nothing worked.



Sargie and I have talked of getting a new refrigerator for some time. Our current one was a popular model back in the 70's and admittedly, it's been making weird sounds and running more than it ought to. It's just the timing is so bad. It seems every annual bill comes due in December right at Christmastime; the internet, home owners insurance, winter taxes in January, plus there are a few others I've not even mentioned. Sargie and I were going to buy each other a sectional for Christmas this year. Now it appears we'll be getting a new refrigerator instead.

Page Two

The first two-thirds of Thursday went well. After my usual morning stroll, I went to the shop and worked on the cross and rose. So far/so good, although I was alarmed when some of the intricate work began to crack.



 I stopped and glued anything that seemed weak and will continue at a later time.



I'm not sure how to make several intricate cuts. I cut a bit, then stopped and stared at the piece hoping an answer might come to me. Often, it does, but not yesterday. I'll scour the internet for an answer before continuing. 

The solar heater is working well. It's taken many adjustments and baptism by fire... 'er, cold, but it's beginning to pay off.

The heater maintained an indoor temperature of almost 68 degrees all day in the shop.

I worked for a couple of hours on an old scroll saw that I've had for years. I can't get a blade to seat in the thing and have come to the conclusion that it must be missing a part. I'll wait until someone with better eyes than mine, and hopefully a sharper brain, comes this way and see what he thinks. I put the saw in a large garbage bag and set it out on a shelf in the barn. 



I've already described the nonstop refrigerator action. That filled the late afternoon and early evening.

It was Packers time. I must admit, I didn't have high expectations and after they gave up 17 points in the first few minutes, I was tempted to turn the game off.  

I just couldn't. I mean, I'm no fair weather fan. I watched the Packers play back in the 70's and 80's when two or three wins in an entire season was the norm. Bret Favre and I graduated from the same university. One of the reasons I wanted to relocate to the UP from Alaska was because of it's proximity to Green Bay.

I changed the station to something that Sargie might want to watch and began watching the game on my iPhone. I couldn't see it very well, but the audio was just fine. 

The Packers came out swinging in the second half and by game's end, Aaron Rodgers threw a successful Hail Mary pass into the end zone. Another Packer victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat. It was then I realized that broken refrigerators and close football games aren't for sissies.  If the Packers could rally to win the game, so could I venture forth this morning to purchase a new refrigerator.

There's one appliance store in Iron River that I hope will have what we want. Otherwise, I'll make a trip to Iron Mountain. I need to be back by early afternoon so Mechanic Dave can work on the signal lights on the Blazer. If it's not one thing, it's another.

I'm not surprised. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

A secondary fan was mounted in front of the hot air exhaust of the solar heater to blow the heat from the ceiling down into the shop. Not a practical solution for home use, in the shop, anything goes.