Sargie's windmill is up and turning

May 16, 2016 - Monday

44 degrees/cloudy skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I was outside at daybreak this morning spreading granular weed killer over the thistles on the trails, in the popple woods, and both meadows. I'll follow up in the next several days by spraying Round Up or 24D. Waging battle against the thistles has been an ongoing fight for the past four years and at best, I've managed to halt their spread. They certainly haven't been eradicated. 

Page Two:

Sunday was the day of the windmill.

 We purchased one on Saturday and I wasn't going to attempt to construct the tower outside until warmer weather returned. It was Sargie who suggested that we assemble it in the living room. 

She didn't have to mention it twice.

Mostly, she worked on one side while I tackled the other and all four hands were occasionally needed to hold a piece in place while turning a bolt.

In the end, the tower fit sideways through the living room door. It took a while to set up in the garden, but it wasn't long before the fan was turning. Success was ours!

Page Three:

After a quick trip to town, we returned home where I began to experiment with the new fountain kit. All three heads worked well and Brutus was delighted in thinking it was his own personal bubbler. 

Some people didn't display the same amount of enthusiasm for playing in the water as Brutus and I. Sargie's job; to turn off the power as I changed the fountain heads.

I have a plan to make a waterfall utilizing the planter I built earlier and attached to the greenhouse. Since water runs downhill, I know the falls will work, but I'm not sure if the pump is powerful enough to lift the water two to three feet for continual action. On paper, it works. In real life? Stay tuned.

I'll go to town today and purchase a few feet of tubing, then see if the pump will lift the water high enough.

Page Four:

We were hungry. No, we were darn hungry. Despite the wind and cold temperatures, it was decided to enjoy a summer-type meal. The main entree, pork steak done on the grill.

To accompany it, Sargie fixed fresh sweet corn, asparagus cut late Saturday afternoon from the patch, and carrots from last year's garden that have been kept down the basement in sand all winter. They tasted as good when I first dug them in October.

Page Five:

Sargie's back to work today. I'm going to ride partway with her and increase my daily walk from three to five miles. After receiving .3 of an inch of rain overnight, I think this is the day I'll finally get to work on the grave marker in the shop. The rest of the week looks favorable for working outside, so I might as well make hay while the sun shines. It goes along with being young and restless.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Those who have read my writings for many years might remember the electric wind generator I built in Alaska utilizing an alternator/generator from a 1989 Buick. That windmill supplied all the power (and more) I needed during the winter months. I found myself having those same thoughts yesterday as we put this decorative windmill in place. The truth of the matter is, unlike the far arctic, we  don't get enough wind on Pentoga Road to make it worth while.