The wren I talked about on Tuesday has taken up permanent residence for the summer.

May 19,2016 - Wednesday

26 degrees/clear/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Supposedly, this was our last really cold night for the foreseeable future with temperatures predicted to rapidly rise later today.

Warm weather means that I no longer will have to put all the outside plants in the garage each night. It's quite a chore to lug everything in and out twice a day.

One thing for certain, I have about half a dozen giant pumpkin plants that have to be transplanted into the garden. A couple are over six inches long and beginning to sprawl from their peat pots. I'll cover them if necessary on nights when frost is a possibility.

Page Two:

Yesterday was a mixed bag of tricks. The day began by applying Round Up herbicide around the garden and house early in the morning, well before any breeze began to blow. I don't like using chemicals, but killing the grass and weeds saves hours of trimming each week.

It's difficult to fill the sprayer when the hose spits only long tubes of ice out the end.  The low on Monday night was 24 degrees and I'd forgotten to drain the hose.

That done, I moved into the shop and worked on the grave marker. Initially, I thought I'd made another huge mistake, but then discovered I was holding the piece upside down. No wonder nothing would align.

I'll notch the cross piece this morning and cut it out of the 2x6 cedar board. Slow and steady... no mistakes. Slow and steady... no mistakes. Slow and steady... no mistakes.

Page Three:

The majority of the day was spent mowing. I've been expanding the yard yearly and with the completion of the popple woods, the expansion ends. It took almost six hours of riding yesterday to cut the grass in the yard, the meadows, the area on the other side of the garden, and the trails. 

I love the look and enjoy the big yard with lots of trees and all the trails. My dream has about come true.

Page Four:

It was late afternoon when I moved to the popple woods and tackled a particularly difficult area. There were several tree stumps to be removed and time was spent on the old tractor, removing piles of bushes, old trees, dirt, and roots.

I'm not sure what the time line is for completing the popple woods, but it's going faster than anticipated. I'm going to try working two to three hours each day on that project.

I hope to be mowing this area in the next few weeks.

The day ended outside by playing with the fountain pump and deciding whether to build a waterfalls or keep it as a fountain. It will push enough water for a falls, but assuming a three foot elevation, it's weak, not really what I was hoping for. Until I purchase a stronger pump, there'll be a small fountain in the middle of the garden.

Sargie arrived home and while I was taking a shower, she made a great tuna/shrimp salad. We ate like the little piggies we are and had a wonderful and relaxing evening.

Page Five:

I'm going to begin this morning by spraying another tank of weed killer around the shop and barn, some of the trees, etc. 

Like yesterday, I'll move into the shop early and work on the grave marker while my eyes are still fresh; try to get the cross piece notched and cut.

The giant pumpkins have to go in the ground as do several of the giant sunflowers that are reaching eight to ten inches tall. I'm going to trust Carl the Weatherman when he says we are entering a warm spell.

It's time to pack Sargie's lunch and get breakfast ready. Hmm, I might even multi task and attempt to think deep thoughts at the same time. Naw, forget it, that sounds like too much work.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...