The Budweiser Clydesdales in the UP Championship Rodeo Parade in Iron River on Saturday morning 

July 17, 2016 - Sunday morning

61 degrees/clouds-rain/breezy

Pentoga Road

Thanks, Yooper Brother Mark, for sending a few pictures of yesterday's rodeo parade held in Iron River. It sounds as though it was a good one.

While Mark was scrambling to pick up candy off the streets that was thrown from passing floats, I was sitting in a mechanic's shop in Iron Mountain, waiting for two new tires to be put on the Blazer and the front end aligned.

After leaving the Blazer at the shop, Sargie and I still had an hour before she was needed at the Vision Center. We grabbed a bit of breakfast, then rode around the area in her car enjoying the beautiful morning.

Hydraulic Dam, just minutes south of Iron Mountain

Yesterday's foray into Iron Mountain was an expensive, but needed one. Sargie dropped me back at the tire place before she went on to work. The tech guy was still working on the Blazer. Hmm, what should I see but the grand opening of a new hardware store across the highway.

I dodged traffic, but running the gambit was well worth it. They were featuring "buy a gallon of any paint, get the second one free." I brought home two gallons of exterior white. When a person lives in a hundred year old house, white paint is kind of like love, you can never have too much of the stuff. I'll store the paint in the basement for future use. 

They also had deal where one buys a five gallon bucket for a dollar and they take 20% off of anything that can be stuffed inside.

I stocked up on sandpaper, sanding disks, and a few other odds and ends I needed that seemed to be good deals. 

Once back home, I headed to the shop and spent the rest of the day sanding, then sanding some more, and, oh, might I mention that I did a bit more sanding after that.

I am so glad I decided to paint these lattices rather than merely stain them. Paint and putty can hide a whole lot of mistakes and believe me, I made every one possible.

After four hours, both lattices had been gone over. I'm thinking I might have another two or three to go.

Yooper Brother Mark dropped by late in the afternoon for a quick visit. I think the poor boy was about all done after arriving home on Friday from a week at Boy Scout camp. Mark is one of the shakers and movers in the scouting organization here in the UP. 

I worked in the garden last evening, mostly fertilizing and wondering what makes this year different than last. Everything is growing, but nothing has that pizzaz, that unknown look that makes one want to whistle Dixie and wish he had a garden twice as big. The only thing I can figure out is that my ph (soil alkalinity) is running a bit low. That, coupled with a late, cold, and wet, spring, the garden is average at best. Oh well, as I keep saying, that's why we have the gardener's best friend, next year.

That's Jerad sitting inside the fire truck in Saturday's UP Rodeo Parade.

I noticed a strange, but beautiful, bluish/purple flower growing in the very weedy perennial bed. After some research, it appears it is a Japanese Balloon Flower. 

I've never seen it before, don't know how it got there, but I really don't care. I'll be cleaning those beds this fall in preparation of doing them over and the Balloon Flower will be included in the new perennial garden.

Sargie was home late after two consecutive night's of closing the Vision Center. Needless to say, my favorite optician in the world was about all done in. She's off today and what a perfect day for her to relax in preparation of a very busy week ahead.

I'm going to pour another cup of coffee and think deep thoughts before heading back out to the shop. My goal is to get the lattice completed and sanded before this coming week's end. It ain't gonna happen by itself.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...