October 11, 2016 - Tuesday
55 degrees/light rain/calm winds
Pentoga Road

"The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout, down came the rain..."

Rain is once again coming down this morning and forecast to sporadically fall through Wednesday. Temperatures begin fairly warm tomorrow then plummet to forty degrees. Sounds like it's that time of year to make a big ol' pot of stew and break out the flannel shirts.

I picked 'em up and put 'em down on Monday. The usual morning stroll was absolutely beautiful. Some trees are losing all their leaves while others are just coming into color. The temperature was in the forties and the wind was light.

Once home, I loaded the Husqvarna chainsaw into the car and took it to the small engine repair shop. The owner said it should be finished in the next day or two.

After a quick stop to see Yooper Brother Mark, I came back home and began work in the garden.

It's nice to sit here this morning knowing that other than potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, and parsnips, everything has been harvested.

The squash took the longest. 

These green kuri squash set a personal record. I picked fifteen squash from one single vine. Talk about prolific!

I had planted seven varieties, some big, some little, and there were multiple wheelbarrow-loads taken to the barn where the fruits will cure for the next month.



All will be moved to the basement for permanent storage. 



The miniature pumpkins really went forth and multiplied this past summer. I had no idea so many were growing under the vines. Most will be given away as table decorations for the fall holiday season.

I even found a pumpkin growing under the carrot tops.

The next project was to dig a few potatoes. Another pot was emptied which had a few nice ones. 

I had just turned this pot on it's side and these rolled out on their own.

I also made a test dig of the potato row that Grady helped to plant last spring. It looks really good. I hope Hambone can get over here in the next week to help dig those. He planted them, he can help with the harvest, then take a bunch home to Mommy and Daddy. It's never too early to learn the pride one receives in growing, eating, and giving food to others. 

I'll be delivering pumpkins next week to all the good little Milligan family girls and boys for Halloween.

I have procrastinated about emptying the little pond/fountain by the greenhouse, but again, with the temperatures forecast to plummet, it was time. I removed the one remaining goldfish then pumped the water out. It was a simple job and I was happy to get everything put away.

And the goldfish? It's going to Grady's house for the winter!



It was afternoon and I was just plain tired. I wandered to the shop and decided to take the old Homelite chainsaw apart. It had died, so I couldn't hurt it. A newspaper was spread on the workbench and I went where no person with limited vision and absolutely no knowledge of small engines should go.

I tinkered, fiddled, cleaned, and adjusted. In the end, the machine was pieced back together, filled with gas, and with just one pull, it jumped to life! 

From now on, the old chainsaw will be named Lazarus. I'm not sure what happened, but the Homelite lives to cut another day.

The phone rang. It was the small engine mechanic saying the Husqvarna was ready, so it was back into the Blazer for a quick trip to town.

Strange, yesterday at this time, I had no chainsaws in working condition. Today, there are two, both ready to cut.

Once home, I began working on the cord of birch that has been covered and drying alongside the shed for the past year. The neighbor who gave it to me cut it too long for our stove, so each piece had to be cut in half, then split. Both the saw and the splitter worked like a charm. 



It was evening before I came in the house and almost collapsed in the shower. I don't mind saying, Tommy P was a tired boy. Sargie arrived home shortly after and we enjoyed a dinner of two of our favorite food groups, squash and chicken, while watching Dancing With the Stars. 



Bedtime came soon after and I was sound asleep before Sargie was finished with her nightly ritual in the bathroom.

I have a doctor's appointment this morning in Iron Mountain. Sargie's off and is going to stay home and relax. A few errands need to be run while I'm in the big city, but I should be home well before noon. There are plants sitting in the garage that ought to be moved to the basement and no doubt, we'll find eighty or a hundred other jobs to do, all before cold weather sets in.

Old fishing cabins, that are still used, framed by red maples.

Time to get a cup of coffee and download yesterday's pictures. It's always fun to see what I actually did.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...