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.