A wild Tom turkey doing his man dance in front of a flock of hens by the garden.

March 30, 2016 - Wednesday
40 degrees/cloudy-rainy/breezy
Pentoga Road

We're waiting on the doctor's office to call with orders for Sargie to have a scan on her kidneys. She started having pain several days ago and has been treated for an infection, but it appears it's something else. The poor girl is all done in. Kidney stones? Infection? Who knows, but hopefully we'll find out sooner rather than later.

Tuesday was a busy day, although I'm not certain I did that much. After my usual walk, I visited a bit with Neighbor Mike. He'd been clearing brush at the far end of his pasture.

Most of the day was spent working the Little Blue, the small four wheeler that is my summer work machine.

The rack has continually been loose since I purchased the ATV several years ago. No amount of tightening and cranking on bolts can stop it from jiggling. I grew tired of trying. Out came the welder and all I'll say is that rack should never come loose again.



It was time to do my yearly switch over, taking the wooden box from the red ATV and putting it onto the smaller one. I use the four wheeler like a pickup truck during the summer months, hauling tools, wood, and even as a saw horse for building projects away from the shop or barn.



Right now, we're going to take care of Sargie. No doubt, it will be a hurry up and wait type of day and that's okay as long as she gets better.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Spring was in the air on Tuesday

Emerson enjoying an apple on a sunny spring day

March 29, 2016 - Tuesday

26 degrees/clear/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Matt sent along a couple of pictures of the munchkins yesterday. He says both are doing well and everyone survived the arrival of the Easter Bunny on Sunday.

Bennet

I may have overdone it a bit on Monday. Certainly, my back was screaming in protest when I awakened a bit ago. 

Sargie has some back pain also, enough that she went to the doctor's yesterday. He seems to believe that she might have some infection in her kidneys and prescribed antibiotics. As of 1:30 this morning, the medication hadn't begun to work and Sargie couldn't get comfortable. I finally got the heating pad for her to lay on and came downstairs. Between my back and her kidneys, sleep was difficult to come by. It's now 2:45 AM and I'm hoping that by the time I'm finished writing, I'll be ready to go back to bed.

Monday was a beautiful and very busy day. Perhaps I overdid it just a bit, but it seemed entirely too warm and sunny to waste any time not doing something. 

The day began with the usual five mile hike. The chilly temperatures made walking most enjoyable and I arrived home a full ten minutes earlier than usual.

A logging operation alongside my walking route

Enjoying a rest, I put pencil to paper and came to the conclusion that my planned garden expansion will cost over $400 in treated lumber to make the raised beds plus two or three hundred more for top soil. Needless to say, the grand expansion has been put on hold. Maybe half will be done this year, half next. Perhaps I'll keep it the size it is and simply enjoy what's already there. 

The trailer was still half filled with wood. After emptying and sweeping it clean, I loaded the trash and drove to the dump.

I miss the old landfill days... back when a trip to the dump meant finding treasures that others had discarded.

I hated to waste a trip. The trailer was towed on into town and left at Yooper Brother Mark's to once again be filled with firewood. 

Back on Pentoga Road, I spent an hour visiting with Neighbor Mike. He was attempting to hang two homemade screen doors, both of them, literally, works of art. I'll take a picture the next time I'm up to his camp.

Three fairly large spruce trees have been growing along what used to be the edge of our back yard. Of course, the yard has since been quadrupled in size and the trees not only blocked the view to the rear, but were crowding each other out.

One was infested with spruce bud worm, a fatal critter that has decimated a huge segment of the UP's spruce population. The middle tree was root bound making mowing most difficult as large roots were growing on top of the ground.

The third tree, the largest, had the best shape and seemed to be the healthiest.

After much contemplation, I cut down the first two trees and figured while I was making a mess, I might as well cut down another that was growing elsewhere and needed to go away.

It wasn't a horrible job. I cut what I could off the trunks and took the stumps down as low to the ground as possible. The backhoe will be used to remove them as soon as the ground is dry enough.

Next came the little Ford tractor with the front end loader. Once the trees were cut into workable pieces, I simply transported each to the burn pile where they'll be incinerated in the next couple of weeks. 

By late afternoon's end, the trees were gone and any mess had disappeared. Needless to say, this woodcutter was all done in. Maybe next time I feel so ambitious, I'll spread the work out over two or three days rather than attempting to do it all at once.

Sargie was home fairly early and we enjoyed brat patties done on the grill. The rest of the evening was spent watching Dancing With the Stars. Bedtime for both of us came shortly after 9 PM.

Sargie closes tonight, so it will be a long day for her. I sure hope she gets to feeling better. I'm going to walk my usual miles then work in the garden. There are three or four raised beds that need repair. Other than that? Hey, the sky's the limit, including taking an afternoon nap. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The Easter Bunny visited Isabella's house!

One of the many beautiful homes that adorn Rhinelander, Wisconsin's, residential streets

March 28, 2016 - Monday
31 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

As has become the norm these past few days, I awakened at 4:30 this morning and thought I'd lay in bed for another half an hour. The next thing I knew, the alarm was ringing. Must be old age.

Sunday was fun. I cleaned and swept the shop while Sargie was sleeping in. I've gotten into the habit of putting my tools away immediately after using them. If one is randomly laid down, it might take half an hour to find it again, even if it's lying in front of my nose. I like this new habit of mine and wish I would have developed it sixty years ago.

I drove into town to get the trailer that had been filled with firewood at Yooper Brother Mark's plant. It took a bit of doing, but once home, it was backed up, threaded between the trees, and parked alongside the place where the wood will to be unloaded.



What to do next? With Sargie out of the shower and ready to roll, we decided to drive over to Rhinelander for the afternoon. Though nothing was really needed, we had no trouble parting with some of our hard earned dollars. 

We also spent time driving around looking at homes.

Sargie bought a ceiling fan for the kitchen. Check one more thing off the redo-the-kitchen list. Still to go... installing a new back window, sanding and refinishing the floor, and painting the cabinets. 



I purchased more flower bulbs. I don't know, for whatever reason, I'm really into the flowers this year. Joanne, who lives in Georgia, has mentioned several times that I need to incorporate flowers into the garden. This year, I'm heeding her advice.

We arrived home in the early evening. I spent some time working on the trailer load of wood until driving rain ran me inside. 

We enjoyed eating ham sandwiches and watching television last evening. Bedtime came fairly early.

Sargie opens today. I'm going to hoof my usual five miles then finish emptying the trailer. After that, I'll fill it with very full trash barrels and make my way to the dump. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? No wonder people want to be me.



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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...  

It will only take a few more days of sun and wind and the ice on our local lake will be gone for another year.

March 27, 2016 - Easter Sunday
37 degrees/ foggy/ calm winds
Pentoga Road

Happy Easter to everyone. Easter Bunny and candy aside, this is a most joyous day where, for those who believe, their sins are forgiven and they will have ever lasting life. Amen and Amen.

Speaking of joyous, the annual Mighty Milligan Easter gathering convened on Saturday at nephew Garth's home in Iron Mountain. 





Sargie and I left early so we might swing through the car wash and after, fill the tank with gas.

I thought the car wash was a great place to snuggle a bit, but Sargie had other ideas... and parking wasn't one of them.

As usual, the pictures can say much more than words, so I'll let them tell the story.

The Easter Bunny visited and left eggs scattered all around the back yard. It was Grady's first egg hunt and he went at it like a pro.

Uncle Donnie's picking up some pointers

After the munchkins filled their bags, the combination of sunshine, warm air, and a huge yard, provided more than enough excuses to burn off some excess energy.





Meanwhile, back inside, the ladies were preparing a huge lunch, the center of which was the ham, one of the best I've eaten in many years.



Meeting in a narrow hallway, Auntie Nancy, potential star of stage and screen and known around the world for her JC Penny modeling photo shoots, paused long enough to share one of her rare, but famous, close-up poses.



She later said she would have included her hands, but they held a significant portion of Saturday's Easter dinner.

Grady and I spent some time together, mostly when he became tired and a bit whiney. Pawpaw raised him up on his lap and Grady quickly fell asleep... for over two hours. Pawpaw might have slumbered for forty-five minutes or so.

We arrived home last night with full bellies asking the common question of, "Why did I eat so much?" Needless to say, we didn't snack or eat any leftovers before bedtime.

Andy sent a picture of Ivy this morning.

It won't be long until those fingers will be replaced by jelly beans on Easter morning.

Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri, in Wyoming, visiting with Sarah, Curtis, and Isabella, sent this Easter greeting for Uncle Tom and Aunt Sargie from Isabella.



The poor girl took a header the other day causing a small cut and a black eye. 

I spent most the evening looking at plans to build a garden arbor and gate and believe I'll pattern mine similar to the one below.



I hope to begin assembly in the shop this week, then once the weather becomes suitable, will assemble it at the entrance to the garden.

I'm not certain what Sargie and I will do on this Easter Sunday. Whatever it is, I am sure it won't be too stressful.



With that being said, it's time to get the day started. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The completed planter was moved out of the shop Friday afternoon.

March 26, 2016 - Saturday

28 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It appears as though it's going to be another warm one today with highs to be in the low 50's. Rain is also mentioned in the forecast for two or three days this coming week before turning cooler again by week's end. 

Friday was a mixed bag of Pentoga Road action. Neighbor Mike called earlier and I promised him I'd be up to his camp first thing for coffee. I skipped my usual walk for an hour of good conversation. 

Mike's had a busy winter. He and his wife, Germaine, spent a goodly amount of time earlier in Australia and New Zealand and they just returned from ten days in Florida. Both are heading back home today to spend Easter in Marquette.

The rest of the morning was spent finishing the planter. I'd made it in two pieces so that the thing would be easier to move. Utilizing the two-wheeled dolly, I rolled it down to the garden area.

We initially thought it might find a permanent resting place in front of the greenhouse. Sargie has talked about putting it out towards the road by the sign. That's a possibility. No doubt, we'll shuttle it around before deciding. 

Some time was spent walking around the yard, deciding which projects should have priority once the ground dries and I can work without wading in mud.

I need to cut down the two spruce trees on the right, also, the wild cherry on the left. All were quite small when I originally bought the property, but have since grown together causing the sides that touch to die. The only tree that will remain is the biggest one in the middle. It's the healthiest, largest, and in the best location.

One tree is infested and will by dying anyway. The roots from another are growing on top of the ground making mowing extremely difficult.

After cutting, I'll dig the stumps and roots out of the ground with the back hoe. It will be a two-day job.

I'm considering building an octagonal bench around the large spruce tree that grows in the front yard. It's always shady underneath and one of the coolest places on a hot summer day. 

The biggest problem I foresee is the uneven ground under the tree. The legs would have to be different lengths and again, there are a few roots growing on top of the ground. I don't know... maybe that's a project best left for another year.

I discovered a hole in one side of a polycarbonate panel on the greenhouse. I'm assuming a limb from a nearby tree struck it during a storm. I need to seal the panel with clear silicone caulk.

I next sprayed and treated the fruit trees. They are sprayed four times a year for scale and fungus, plus I treat each for crawly critters to ensure we don't bite into an apple and wonder where the other half of the worm disappeared to.

I've been putting off cleaning the greenhouse. It's used more for storage except during the springtime. 

Two hours were spent sorting and throwing away plastic six packs, trays, twine, broken waterers, and about any other garden-related item you can think of. One of my greenhouse goals is to become less of a packrat and stop collecting useless containers that I will never use.

The two holes in the table allow lamps to be mounted, facing up, to provide bottom heat to germinating seeds. I'll begin sowing tomato and other seeds in another couple of weeks.

Mike's daughter and my friend, Amelia, stopped by for a visit with Uncle Tom late in the afternoon. Amelia's a dietician in Houghton, about two hours north of here. She's so excited to be flying to Germany early next week to be in a good friend's wedding. After, she'll fly to Spain, alone, to knock around and see the country for a few days. 

Sargie was home later in the evening last night as she had to close the Vision Center. We'll be heading to the annual Mighty Milligan Easter gathering later this morning. The food will be plentiful and delicious, the company, conversation, and laughter, even better.

I think I'm going to sneak out to the shop and clean up the mess made from building the planter. I hope to start construction on the entry arch in the garden this coming week and will need all the floor space possible. This time, I'll not only have multiple angles, but several curves to contend with.

I think I'll run out and start the heat in the shop then return inside for one last cup of coffee before starting my day.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...