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| Taken from my friend, Val Dufour's, deck in northern Maine this past weekend |
32 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road
I'm never going to whine and cry again about the weather in the UP, at least for today. My friend, Eileen, who lives in Maine, sent this yesterday just to remind how good we really have it on Pentoga Road, at least for this week.
I remember camping along the St. John River in northern Maine with my buddies years ago and waking up one Memorial Day to six inches of snow.
Page Two:
Wednesday was a mixed bag of tricks that began with an hour-and-half conversation with Verizon Wireless. For whatever reason, our bill increased by twenty dollars in one month.
I grew tired and turned the phone over to Sargie who waged battle with them for well over an hour. The outcome was that we settled for quite a bit less than we've been paying and received a guarantee that it will stay that way for the life of the plan.
Page Three:
I was heading to the shop Wednesday morning when I remembered the three bushes we'd purchased last weekend that needed planting. So much for working on the grave marker.
I dug. I pried. I muttered. Actually planting the shrubs was the easy part. Prying the rocks out so I might make a hole proved to be the most difficult.
Page Four:
I decided to skip working on the cross and spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon planting the giant pumpkins. In the end, it took almost three hours to plant three pumpkin plants. Being a quasi serious giant pumpkin grower isn't for sissies.
The first thing was to dig a large hole.
After filling the hole with compost, I set up the Walls of Water. You'll note the five gallon bucket in the middle to keep the walls upright until they are full enough of water to be self supporting.
And finally, the five-gallon bucket was removed and the giant pumpkin planted over the compost.
Last year I had one giant pumpkin plant. This year, I have three, but am unsure how many I'll actually keep. To truly have a chance of growing a several hundred pound pumpkin takes a lot of time and effort. Three of them might be over the top. We'll see.
I also planted a giant pumpkin on the south side of the barn.
I also planted several varieties of winter squash in the raised beds. They are, by far, our most favorite "keeper vegetable," those we enjoy during the winter months.
Page Six:
With these warm and sunny days, it appears everything is ready to blossom. The Wolf River apple tree is filled with flowers that are just a day or two away from opening.
The strawberries aren't far behind.
Page Seven:
I took the time to play with the water pump late in the afternoon. I need to find something larger to use as a pool and hopefully, I'll get in touch with my creative side and be able to construct a fountain that will be passable when surrounded by flowers.
Page Eight:
I covered what I'd previously planted to protect everything from last night's frost. Those McDonald's styrofoam glasses come in handy this time of year.
The bedding plants on the back deck were also covered with a frost blanket. They'll find their final homes in the next day or two in the various planters around the yard and garden.
Sargie had to close the Vision Center and wasn't home until quite late Wednesday night. We had a short time together before I climbed the stairs to bed. She remained up for a while longer. I don't blame her for taking the time to unwind from a very busy day, but I simply couldn't keep my eyes open. As with most everything in our lives together, we're exact opposites. I'm a very early morning person, she's a night owl.
It's true, opposites attract. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Page Nine:
Today promises to be a busy one. Sargie's off and has a doctor's appointment later this afternoon in Iron Mountain. The kitchen window we ordered is ready, so we'll pick that up while we're in town. There's also a big one-day sale at our local grocery that we're planning to take advantage of.
I'm going to head out to the shop in a few minutes and work on the cross. After, I hope to top off the planters on the deck with fresh compost, then work in the garden.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
And finally, the five-gallon bucket was removed and the giant pumpkin planted over the compost.
Last year I had one giant pumpkin plant. This year, I have three, but am unsure how many I'll actually keep. To truly have a chance of growing a several hundred pound pumpkin takes a lot of time and effort. Three of them might be over the top. We'll see.
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| A plant at each end of the garden. By summer's end, that entire area should be covered with vines. |
Page Five:
The rest of the afternoon was spent planting common pumpkins. This year, I'm growing the Big Moose variety. Most pumpkins should average between seventy-five and two hundred pounds.
I also planted several varieties of winter squash in the raised beds. They are, by far, our most favorite "keeper vegetable," those we enjoy during the winter months.
Page Six:
With these warm and sunny days, it appears everything is ready to blossom. The Wolf River apple tree is filled with flowers that are just a day or two away from opening.
The strawberries aren't far behind.
Page Seven:
I took the time to play with the water pump late in the afternoon. I need to find something larger to use as a pool and hopefully, I'll get in touch with my creative side and be able to construct a fountain that will be passable when surrounded by flowers.
Page Eight:
I covered what I'd previously planted to protect everything from last night's frost. Those McDonald's styrofoam glasses come in handy this time of year.
The bedding plants on the back deck were also covered with a frost blanket. They'll find their final homes in the next day or two in the various planters around the yard and garden.
Sargie had to close the Vision Center and wasn't home until quite late Wednesday night. We had a short time together before I climbed the stairs to bed. She remained up for a while longer. I don't blame her for taking the time to unwind from a very busy day, but I simply couldn't keep my eyes open. As with most everything in our lives together, we're exact opposites. I'm a very early morning person, she's a night owl.
It's true, opposites attract. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Page Nine:
Today promises to be a busy one. Sargie's off and has a doctor's appointment later this afternoon in Iron Mountain. The kitchen window we ordered is ready, so we'll pick that up while we're in town. There's also a big one-day sale at our local grocery that we're planning to take advantage of.
I'm going to head out to the shop in a few minutes and work on the cross. After, I hope to top off the planters on the deck with fresh compost, then work in the garden.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
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| The latest addition to my newest line of working man's clothing, Pentoga Fashions. |
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