Look there, a new kitchen/garage door!

October 1, 2016 - Saturday

50 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Where'd September go? I barely remember it and now those thirty days have come and gone.

I know for a fact that when one is about to cross over, his life does, indeed, flash before his eyes. It happened to me years ago while trapped in an ice cave in arctic Alaska with rushing chest deep water creating a hypothermic condition from which I didn't expect to escape, but that's a story for another time.

My point is, the month of September flew by, as did August, and July before that. My point? As fast as they flew, flashed by, at least in my memory, I hope this doesn't mean I'm about to cross over to the other side. 

The sun was on the other side of the fog Friday morning

Here's an FYI (For Your Information) of little significance. I read this once in a scholarly magazine, Field and Stream, Fish and Fur, or Popular Wood Working... one of those.

Remember as a small child, when a year seemed like a lifetime, but now that you're all grown up, a year is but a mere blink of the eye?

Stop and think about it. At age four, one year equals a fourth of an entire lifetime. The older one becomes, a year is just one of many, creating the illusion that time flies faster as a person ages. Boom. So there you have it.

Dang, I'm having some deep thoughts this morning and the day hasn't even started. Who knows, this could be the day I finally solve perpetual motion and/or cold water fission. 

Meanwhile, back to reality:

Friday began bright and early by spraying Round Up (weed killer) on the remaining strawberry plants. It's a total kill and honestly, I didn't feel like spending the next three days on my hands and knees pulling each and every plant out by hand. I saved enough for niece, Sasha, and ourselves, but the rest will die a peaceful and quick death. I'll replant before the ground freezes and they should be good to go next spring.

I walked the shorter route yesterday, just three miles, as I wanted to get home and begin installing the new kitchen/garage door.

What a project that turned out to be. Taking out the old door and frame wasn't too bad. I could see why it leaked air and made the kitchen so cold. There wasn't a bit of insulation or caulk around the frame. 

Poor Neighbor Mike came along at a bad time. He'd borrowed some gas and stopped to return a full jug. I asked if he might give me a quick hand in setting the new door and frame up into the opening.

When I rebuilt the new garage wall several years ago, I'd left a bit of a lip over the exterior frame trying to plug the areas that leaked cold air. 

When we attempted to put the new door in the old opening, we found that because of the lip, the space was too small by a few eighth's of an inch. 

The sawing and chiseling began.

The door is in, it's tight, and after squeezing two tubes of caulk, one can of foam, and stuffing no small amount of fiberglass insulation around the frame and entire area, I don't see how it can leak cold air this winter. After the trim is installed and the screen door hung today, I'll be able to cross that job off my things-that-have-to-be-done-before-cold-weather-arrives list.

Sargie was home early last night and opens today. I'm going for my walk then hope to finish the door and trim before noon. I'm thinking I may start to dig potatoes this afternoon. I'd like to get them out of the ground and into the basement before the next round of monsoons begin, sometime this next week. 

Speaking of next week, I see where forecast lows in the thirties will become the norm sooner rather than later. It's time to work on my ice shack in preparation for the upcoming ice fishing season. It'll be here before I know it.

But first, I need to get Sargie up for the day, refill this coffee mug, look at yesterday's pictures, and think some deep thoughts.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...