Dinner on Saturday night

February 9, 2016 - Monday morning

19 degrees/blizzard/snow/very windy

Pentoga Road

Holy cow! I haven't seen conditions like these since my arctic days in Alaska.

Taken from the living room towards the garden. You can barely make out the green house.

The weather service issued a statement a while ago saying that conditions would worsen as a cold front come screaming through the area. They weren't lying.

I am so grateful that Sargie is on vacation and doesn't have to worry about driving. She could have very well been trapped between here and Iron Mountain.

It reminds me of the time I was traveling, via snowmobile, through the Brooks Range, towards Anaktuvuk Pass, north of the Arctic Circle, and was caught out in an extreme blizzard. Temperatures were in the minus 40's and winds were off the charts. I spent days in a hastily dug snow cave, reading the same paperback novel over and over, melting snow for water using a small primer stove, and eating Ramen noodles with dried caribou, ad naseum. 

My means of transportation for years, a one cylinder Skidoo
Tundra. Wrapped in the tarp were two weeks of survival supplies, food, clothing, etc. I also carried ten extra gallons of gas.

At least we're in a warm and comfortable home for this bout of bad weather with more choices than dried caribou and Ramen noodles for supper.

Page Two:

We made it safely home by noon on Sunday after our Mighty Milligan weekend in Escanaba/Gladstone, Michigan. Saturday saw four of the five Milligan sisters heading out bright and early for a morning of power shopping.

The guys, not nearly as eager to spend their hard-earned money, elected to make a trip to Menards Lumber and later, to Gladstone, where we visited a bike shop that carries the type of recumbent trike I hope to eventually purchase.

Downtown Gladstone is seemingly unspoiled with an active shopping district filled with shops and businesses. It reminds me of my hometown in the early 60's before malls and big box stores were invented.

All the shopping expeditions eventually led back to the hotel where some (me included) enjoyed the pool and hot tub.

Others were happy to sit poolside and socialize.

What's this? A transformation in Nancy's modeling career from JC Penny's to Whoppers Malted Milk Balls? Stay tuned! Just remember, you saw it here first.

We gathered Saturday evening for supper. Sunday morning brought a last minute swim for some and more conversation pool-side for others. Everyone had checked out by mid morning and after picking up Brutus from the kennels, we were home shortly after noon.

Sargie had purchased a large tube of hamburger for $1.99 a lb., an almost unheard of price.

Together, we cut and wrapped the entire thing into convenient hamburger-sized slices with pieces of wax paper between each. It all went into the freezer for future grilling.

A quick two to three inches of snow had fallen and I spent a couple of hours outside scraping and plowing the drive; mostly just messing around and playing fetch with Brutus.

Sargie's on vacation this week, her last until next July. I've told her whatever she wants to do, anywhere she wants to go, we'll do it. With that in mind, I imagine we'll be taking some short day trips here and there. Otherwise, I need to purchase more lumber to complete the last two strawberry pyramids.

Meanwhile, it's time for 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...

I was lying on the couch when Brutus happened along and gave my bare forehead a big ol' lick. I guess he's happy to be home.

Looking out our hotel room window at Lake Michigan
picture by Sargie

February 27, 2016 - Saturday
32 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds
Gladstone, Michigan

It's beautiful on the shores of Lake Michigan this morning. The sunrise was gorgeous, especially when framing the ice fishermen as they headed far out onto the lake in search of walleye and yellow perch.

Sunrise on Saturday morning

I don't understand it. All our lakes around home have a foot or more of slush sitting under the snow on top of the ice.

Here on Lake Michigan, the conditions are perfectly dry. There are snowmobiles, ATV's, and trucks scattered all about on a perfectly dry surface. Just a difference of geography I guess.

Yesterday morning was a busy one. We left the property taxes off at the township hall, then drove to Spread Eagle, Wisconsin, to drop Brutus off at the kennels. The next stop was at the tax preparation people in Iron Mountain. We were running about half an hour early ... what to do? We ended up at Home Depot shopping for paint, doors, and windows, then finally drove to Holly and Ross's.



We followed the folks to Escanaba/Gladstone, arriving here in the early afternoon. Jeanne, Nancy, and Boyd, were already here, with Ron arriving shortly after having left from work.

The afternoon was spent talking and laughing. As Holly remarked, it was fun meeting at a nice hotel where no one had to entertain, everyone could help themselves to any snacks or drinks, with no responsibilities of hosting.

JC Penny model, Nancy, doing one of her famous informal poses

We met later in the day for supper. Most had fish. Sargie had a plate of yellow perch, I helped myself to the walleye. It was good, but honestly, I think little Snipe Lake Pub at home might still be ahead in the fish fry department. The salad bar here was excellent and I couldn't let the opportunity for a loaded salad pass. In the end, the only complaints I heard were from those who ate too much.



Our hotel is quite dated, on purpose I think. There are huge dance posters featuring bands from the 40's and 50's. The rooms take a person back in time and even the bathroom fixtures are the same as Mom and Dad had when I was growing up. It's a wonderful place, refreshing for an older generation in many ways.

I think the sisters are planning a day of shopping. I'm not sure what the guys are going to do. I don't believe there are any plans for the male gender. I'm going to park in the swimming pool area and occasionally dip myself in either the hot tub or the pool. I'm in the middle of a good book on my Kindle and can already feel an afternoon nap coming on.



Meanwhile, it's time to get another cup of coffee and greet the day.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

A strong wind was blowing snow on Thursday morning, making for a very chilly walk.

February 26, 2016 - Friday

18 degrees/clear skies, calm winds

Pentoga Road

Happy Birthday to my youngest, Andy. Currently, I believe he's off shore from Texas, moving oil rigs or performing some like job. Happy birthday, Son. We love you.

We're back in the vacation mode again this morning with our planned departure to Escanaba/Gladstone, MI, in a couple of hours. I was up earlier, Sargie just a bit ago. We'll be ready when it's time.

Domestic duties kept me busy on Thursday. I would clean one room, then take a break to tend the laundry, then begin cleaning another between loads.

Speaking of laundry, how can two people dirty so many clothes? I used to accuse Sargie of multiple daily changes until I started paying closer attention. Fully half the clothes belonged to me and I only change clothes once a day, outer clothes might be stretched to two. At any rate, it was a load of whites and a load of darks that kept me running up and down the steps.

I took a couple of hours in the shop to move out the latest strawberry pyramid and give the room a good cleaning. 

Four down, two to go

I'm trying to develop good shop habits, mostly putting tools away, so I can find them later. With my keen and crystal clear eyesight, I'm finding that a hammer laid a mere foot or two away from its intended place can equate to a half-an-hour of searching. I'm learning.

It was late afternoon before Brutus and I played our daily game of fetch and I brought in wood. It didn't seem as though I'd done that much, but the hours had flown by.

Sargie was home early last night and we had a wonderful evening together. She's on vacation for the next week and at least for a few hours, we didn't have a care in the world. Along with watching HGTV, grilled cheese sandwiches were consumed in celebration. It doesn't get much more out of control than that.

This morning is going to be a busy one. We'll be stopping by the township hall to drop off the property taxes. Then it will be onto the kennels to leave Brutus for the weekend, and finally, we'll pause long enough in Iron Mountain to drop off our income tax material at the accountant's. We're to meet at Ross and Holly's later and follow them to our destination, an hour and a half away.

So let's see:

Toothbrush. Check.

A pair of decent pants and a good shirt for Saturday night's supper. Check.

Socks and underthings for two days. Check.

A coat without oil and grease stains. Check.

Swimming trunks. Check.

I think I have all the essentials and am ready to go. Oh no! I almost forgot my pool-side flip flops. Dang it.

Oh well, what's another trip up the steps to retrieve them? It figures. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road....

I hope you didn't hear me muttering on Thursday afternoon when I stepped into some deeper snow and walked out of my boot. 

February 26, 2016 - Thursday
23 degrees/cloudy/windy
Pentoga Road

It's dark, cold, and windy this morning. What the heck happened to spring? Actually, this morning's temperature is almost normal and it's not yet light so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I just checked. Saturday's high is to be 46 degrees, a record if it happens. Perhaps maple syrup season is going to be sooner rather than later this year.

One more weather-related goody... I see they are predicting gusts up to forty mph today. That'll keep the mosquitoes from landing!

Page Two:

An empty box is the best! Just ask Isabella!!

Wednesday began with the usual walk. After, I hooked the trailer onto the Blazer and hauled it to Yooper Brother Mark's plant where it will be filled with wood. The best part of the trip was talking with Mark and Ann. I hadn't seen either for quite a while. Ann's excited to be going to Texas in a couple of weeks to meet with her daughter and spend a few days in the sun. Mark and Sheri are heading to Green Bay this weekend for a bowling tournament. It looks to be a busy time of year for everyone I know in the UP.

I came home and began working the garage, cleaning, rearranging, and throwing things away. Sargie gave me a garage work station for Christmas, a unit that hangs on the wall or ceiling with retractable hoses for air and light. I was going to mount it in the garage until I discovered the package with the mounting hardware was missing. I remember seeing it and know the small plastic bag filled with nuts and bolts didn't get thrown away. Two hours were spent looking high and low with no success. I'm certain it will appear one of these days. If not, I'll improvise. It's not a deal-killer, just frustrating.

The early afternoon was spent inside, accomplishing little other than eating lunch followed by a quick mandatory grandpa nap. This time of year, a half-hour afternoon snooze is almost automatic. 

I cleaned a bit, ran the sweeper, and was going to call it a day when I remembered that Sargie had to close, she wouldn't be home until well into the evening hours. There was nothing on television so I decided to head to the shop and work on strawberry pyramid #4. 

I use a combination of screws and nails. I love the air nailer... if I can just keep from shooting myself.

Three hours later, it was finished. What began as a somewhat worthless day turned into one of my more productive ones. I had come inside and just stepped out of the shower when Sargie arrived home. 

Today's her last day of work before vacation. She opens this morning and should be home early this evening. I'm going to walk this morning, pay the property taxes later, then wash what few clothes are dirty and do a bit of house cleaning in preparation of leaving tomorrow morning for the weekend. 

Other than that, there's that pesky mandatory afternoon grandpa nap.

Isabella's an outside kind of girl

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Me, our Congressman, Luke, and Matt.
 Many many years ago, I was a high school band director. My 140 piece marching band stopped in Washington DC to perform as part of a tour culminating in South Carolina. 

It's been a while, but Pentoga Road was finally plowed, scraped, and sanded on Tuesday. Since there are few homes, our road is usually one of the last (often three or four days) to be plowed after a snowfall. 

February 24, 2016 - Wednesday
29 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I know I could be condemned to the wrong side of River Styx for saying this, but you know, this El Nino/Al Gore-propagated global warming thing isn't all bad. There's plenty of ice on which to fish, enough snow to make it look like winter, and cold enough to make the cheeks red and rosy. On the other hand, the house is easy to keep warm, the drive and roads are fairly clean, and one doesn't have to automatically run from one heated shelter to another for six or seven months straight. After the past two record-setting winters of cold and snow, this year has been a very welcome reprieve. 

Page Two:

I'm in a mental dilemma trying to decide if I should expand the garden or merely work to improve what is already there. It's the same with making pasture out of the old popple woods on the other side of the back yard. 

This summer's activity list keeps expanding.

I've decided to get a few rabbits for meat and to provide fertilizer for the garden, possibly fence off the popple woods, build a small barn, and keep an animal or five. I'd like to get a miniature horse to work with for a guide animal and a few goats to use as living, breathing, weed eaters. 

I also need to expand the shop completely across the back of the barn. I love my workplace as it is, but another eight feet will make all the difference. Then there's the kitchen window to replace, and a large one on the south side of the shop to install for more light. 

Speaking of installation, permanent irrigation will be built into the existing raised beds in the garden this year and hopefully the same will be done with all all the planters. 

Then there is wood to haul from Yooper Brother Mark's plant. About ten large trailer loads are needed before next winter. 

The landscaping for the back and side yards, touch up really, has to be finished. 

I promised Grady and any other grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend who may visit, a playhouse... and the garden gazebo to build.

So the list goes on and on. I figure the day will eventually come when I'll not be able to do all the above, at least alone, so I might as well make hay while the sun shines and my skies are bright and without clouds. It's looking to be a fun summer.

Speaking of busy, I kept myself that way on Tuesday. It began with my three-mile walk. After, I stood on my head for over an hour attempting to find the computer port under the dash on the Blazer in which to plug Progressive Insurance Company's Snap Shot, a tattle tale device that reports one's driving habits directly to them. If a person goes so many months with a satisfactory driving record, he can receive up to a 30% discount on his premiums. 

A few year's ago, a group of lame brain politicians decided to make Michigan a no-fault insurance state. Loosely translated, that means our premiums are almost double those of other states. I'm not wild about Progressive Insurance knowing everything we do with our vehicles, but we don't do anything we shouldn't and if it saves money, why not? I figure Big Brother already knows my every move. What's one more thing?

No small amount of time was spent realigning, gluing, clamping, and fixing a door from the cabinet where we keep Brutus's food.



 Made from genuine Chinese fake wood, particle board, and wood-looking paper, complete with the cheapest hardware available, it never has been what one would call a quality piece of furniture. Still, it serves its purpose and with the fix, ought to last for a few more years. 

Whoops. Sargie loves it when I do any gluing and clamping on her kitchen counters. Dad taught me right. I put down papers.

The rest of Tuesday was spent wrestling that darned strawberry pyramid in the shop. I finally got the knots chiseled on the treated post and the base and vertical supports attached. 

One side of the horizontal shelves were cut and installed with three more left. I should finish the planter either today or tomorrow.

Sargie was home early last night and we had a quiet evening. She closes tonight, opens on Thursday, then taking the last of her yearly vacation, will be off Friday and all of next week. 

Sitting on the couch last night, I was was watching tv when I felt my knees being pried apart. What popped up but an ugly bulldog who wanted to be petted.

I'm going to walk first thing this morning and after, take the trailer to Yooper Brother Mark's plant to be filled with wood. I also need to pick up a bottle of propane for the heater in the shop. Later, it will be pyramid building time. After this one's complete, there'll be just two more left to build to give away, but that doesn't include the two I want to design and construct for the end of the driveway and possibly one for each corner of the garden. 

Does it ever end? Heck no. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

My son, Luke, sent this picture yesterday. His maple season has begun in southern Maine. 

February 23, 2016 - Tuesday
19 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

Once again, I'm running a day late and a dollar short this morning. I've developed the habit of waking early, at my usual 5 AM time, then laying in bed snuggled next to Sargie, thinking deep thoughts, planning the day, and as happened this morning, dozing off to sleep. I keep reminding myself that that's okay, I'm retired and don't have to keep any type of schedule. Still, forty-some years of working habits are hard to break.

The furnace man arrived yesterday, walked downstairs and hit a reset button inside the monster (that I didn't know was there) making the furnace roar to life. He poked, he prodded, checked the electrodes, watched the flame and pronounced it clear and clean. He checked the line from the fuel tank to the furnace and looked at filters. He quipped that it appeared as though the furnace hadn't run since the last time he was here four years ago. It hasn't. We talked for a long time hoping it would quit. It never did.

So, why did it stop working while we were away last week? At least for now, that will remain one of the many mysteries of life. The only thing he could think of was that somehow, some way, a bubble developed in the fuel line, but that's a guess.

While the furnace was running, we talked about installing a new LP gas water heater. According to the new smart meter on our house, our current electric water heater costs around $55 a month, an exorbitant amount considering there are only two of us in the house. A new LP powered furnace was also discussed and purchasing a new one someday is in the works. We'd like to add a bedroom, den, and bath, onto the first floor sometime in the future, so the furnace may wait until that is complete. As long as I am able to burn wood, there's no rush for a furnace.

One thing is certain, before we go on vacation next winter for a week or two, I'll have an internet-controlled thermostat installed so that I can set (and check) the indoor temperature from anywhere, regardless of distance. 

The rest of the day was spent in the shop working on the fourth strawberry pyramid. I ran into some difficulty because of huge knots on each side of the rough cut treated post. I sawed, I chiseled, I swore and muttered. After installing one base leg, crooked and out of line at that, I decided to quit and resume this morning when I'm fresh and rested. It will work, oh yes, by all that is holy, the darned thing will work.



I talked with brother-in-law, Ross, yesterday. We're excited about the upcoming Milligan's weekend in Escanaba. Sargie and I will drop Brutus off at the kennels on Friday morning then meet Ross and Holly in town and follow them to our destination. We talked about bringing our swimming suits so that we might spend the weekend in the water. No doubt, there'll be no small amount of eating going on also.

I scraped the two to three inches of snow from the drive that had fallen Sunday night. It's still bare. How long it will stay that way is anyone's guess, but it's become a goal, a quest, to have spring eventually arrive and not be fighting slush on our paved driveway. Southerners don't understand such things, but anyone who has lived in the far north certainly appreciates the joy of walking and driving on dry pavement during spring thaw.

Sargie was home later last night, but in time so that we could watch the season's finale of The Biggest Loser. It made me feel fat and out of shape. The diet begins next week.

Sargie opens today. I'm going to go for my usual walk then plan on spending the day in the shop on that blankety-blank post and hopefully get some of the pyramid built.

There are a few things I need to order for the garden and it's time to write out the check for the winter property taxes. Other than that, I think I'll just hang out and think deep thoughts.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Working on an ice-covered post also presents some unique challenges.

February 22, 2016 - Monday
18 degrees/snow/calm winds
Pentoga Road

So much for my nice, clean, driveway. We're back into the inch-a-day cycle now where it seems to snow with no effort at all. 



Oh well, we saw bare pavement for two days in a row, a record for this time of year on Pentoga Road.



I developed an old-fashioned stomach ache early yesterday morning, similar to those I occasionally had as a young boy. As Dad used to say, "An old-fashioned belly ache."

My philosophy on illness is, basically, to ignore it at all costs. I abhor whiners, those that when asked the rhetorical question, "how are you," take that as an excuse to spout off their medical history from birth.  With that in mind, I strapped on my hiking boots and walked the usual three miles. That didn't help my belly ache. In fact, each step felt as though I was trudging through knee deep water.

Once home, I scraped a bit of new snow from the drive, then headed to the basement. Since the furnace man will be coming this week, we want him to think that dark hole under our house, the place where things go bump in the night, is always clean and orderly. Doesn't everyone keep their century-old basement that way?

While in the depths of the house, I managed to do two loads of laundry. No sense of the man tripping over dirty clothes on his way to the furnace.

I'd had it. By noon, my belly was still hurting and if you'd have asked how I was, I probably would have given you my entire medical history from birth. I filled the wood stove then flopped in Sargie's recliner and fell asleep... for three hours.

I don't know what that was all about, but I awakened late in the afternoon feeling just fine and full of energy. Maybe it was a bug or that I was simply tired from last week's trip. Whatever, it left while I slept the afternoon away.

Because I had a belly ache earlier in the day didn't mean I wasn't starving by supper time. We had the end of the winter squash and some pork loin that I'd smoked last fall, then frozen. I hate to see our squash come to an end, but it has stored quite well. I wanted to take some to the sisters-in-law two weeks ago and found most of the fruits turning black. Now we'll have to wait until next year to begin eating it again.

Cut into sections and hollowed out, the squash is baked until the flesh becomes soft, then scraped out and mashed.

I slept like a rock last night, not waking until 7 this morning, the equivalent of almost noon for me.

Sargie works today. I'm going to call the furnace repair people, then head out to the shop and begin work on my fourth strawberry planter. If it ever stops snowing, I'll take the time to scrape the drive... again. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...