While walking, Friday, I came across this old remains of an animal that died after being inflicted with the quills from a porcupine. Looking at the hair, I'm guessing it was a coyote or wolf. Nature can be cruel at times.

April 30, 2016 - Saturday

44 degrees/high clouds/breezy

Pentoga Road

Friday was a big day in several aspects on Pentoga Road. The pain pills were thrown away and I feel as though I have once again reclaimed my body and soul from the depths of chemical assistance. 

Thank God for those opioid medicines. Without them, I'm not sure how I would have made it through the first three days after surgery. Being a many-year attendee of 12 step programs, I didn't want to daly with the oxy-whatevers for too long, but after following the doctor's instructions, I was relieved to see the last pill disappear.

Other than addiction from over use, opioids have another side affect. It seems they are the concrete, the cement, the very glue of the pharmaceutical world. After four days, I found that Metamucil and Ex Lax became my best friends. 

I was sitting in the reading room when I heard a voice from the other side of the door. With an incision that stretches halfway across my midsection, the last thing I wanted to hear Sargie say was, "Bear down, little buddy! You can do it!" She said it worked when her boys were being potty trained, that possibly those words might do me some good. The mere thought made me break out in a cold sweat.

As in all happy endings, at least in this chapter, the earth moved on Friday and the balance of life was once again restored on Pentoga Road. Darn straight, I won't miss those pain killers in the least.

Page Two:

I felt good. No, darn it, I felt great. Sargie was getting ready to head out the door for work Friday morning, so at the last moment, I strapped on the hiking boots and hopped in the front seat beside her.

"Where you going?" she asked. 

It was a mile and a half down the road when I asked her to stop and drop me off. The stroll home was pure pleasure, bliss, a return to normalcy. Oh sure, a stitch pulled occasionally, but the legs were almost gleeful and the elevated heart beat meant I was alive, truly alive. There are worse things in life than having one's body repaired. Not walking and exercising is one of them.

Page Three:

I've had some mental plans, a Pentoga Road original design, floating through my head for the past several weeks, of a planter I wanted to make to attach to the greenhouse. After purchasing half of Home Depot's inventory during its big spring sale, I had plenty of treated lumber. It was time to put plans into action.

Since I'm not supposed to carry anything heavy, I had to build the planter in sections and carry each to the garden and assemble it there.

It took a few hours and a bit of imagination, but by day's end, everything was attached. I still need to do some leveling and add the soil, but that will have to wait another couple of weeks until I can put some muscle into both. 

The small planter made a couple of months ago was moved from the center of the green space in the garden to out by the sign. I'll get it centered, settled, and filled in the next couple of weeks and it should be ready for this summer's flowers.

The seeds that were transplanted in the greenhouse just a couple of days ago are sprouting and doing well.

The larger garden plants and flowers are carried outside daily to harden off and absorb all the natural sunlight possible. I hope to begin planting a few, under cover, at the end of this next week. Like everything else in the UP, it all depends on the weather.

Sargie walked in the door last night carrying two racks of ribs. One of the local groceries in Iron Mountain was cooking outside and selling them for $10 a rack. Needless to say, this pig stepped up to the trough last night and ate until he could oink no more.

Sargie's off this weekend. We're planning on driving to Rhinelander later today to shop for some outdoor specials at the local lumber yard. Other than that, we have no plans for either day. Sargie's been taking care of me all week, plus working, so if I have anything to say, the girl's going to spend some time relaxing. Between shingles and a hernia, it's high time we get life back to normal around here.

With that being said, I think I'm going to go for my daily walk. This morning's goal? Three miles.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...