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.