Ranging between eight and fourteen feet in height, the giant sunflowers are beginning to bloom.

August 7, 2016 - Sunday
60 degrees/clear/calm winds
Pentoga Road

It looks like there's another zippity do dah day ahead on Pentoga Road. The humidity is low and temperatures are forecast to be in the seventies. Perfect.

It is beginning to get dry again. Time for our weekly thundershower, although one is not forecast until later in the week. I'll need to start watering the garden soon.

Zucchini on the vine

Saturday consisted of making pickles and hauling dirt. I can't believe how fast the zucchini grew while I was under the weather this past week. I plucked several off the vines that were approaching the size of a Louisville Slugger baseball bat. 



The cucumbers decided to come to life this past week and I picked close to twenty, more than enough to make a decent batch of bread and butter pickles. It's that time of year.

Between Sargie's family, Sheri, and what we'll use, the large zucchini won't go to waste. Seems most shred and freeze the large squash to use in their baking. Sargie will stuff a large one later today with Spanish rice, mushrooms, sausage, hamburger, tomato sauce, and other secret herbs and spices, and we'll eat like royalty. 

It was time to make bread and butter pickles. I'd found an inexpensive food processor last year and purchased it on a whim. I'm glad I did as it makes short work out of slicing cucumbers. 

We'd purchased the processor at a steep discount and I quickly found out why. The spring on a safety switch was broken. With a bit of duct tape, I quickly eliminated the need for the spring and the cucumbers were soon sliced and ready for packing into jars.

I processed eight quarts, seven of cucumbers and had enough brine left to make one from sliced zucchini. All should taste good this coming winter. 



It was beautiful outside and I felt too good to quit for the day. I headed to the rear of the property and dug a load of fill.



In all, three loads were brought to the side yard, shoveled, and raked, before calling it a day. In fact, another two loads should see the side yard finished. It will be nice to not have to mow around any rocks.



The poor old Man Truck has just about breathed its last breath. The power steering is gone as are the brakes. It's stuck in four-wheel drive, the driver's side door refuses to close because the frame is rusted in half. The latches no longer fit together. The heater won't turn off and the pressure plate for the clutch is about worn out. Shifting now requires a delicate synchronization between the motor, the clutch, and the shifter. Add that the bread bag tie used to attach the accelerator cable to the engine is about worn through and I think this could be the last year for the Man Truck. It's next final resting place might be the bed of the junk man's hauler when he comes to take it away. The old beast has served me well.

I'm not sure what's on today's agenda. Sargie's off and it's a picture perfect day. Hmm, do I see a fishing trip on the horizon, possibly one this evening? 

Whatever we do later, one thing is certain. I need to go feed those giant pumpkins. They'll be getting restless and causing havoc with the rest of the garden.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...