October 8, 2016 - Saturday
36 degrees/clear skies/breezy
Pentoga Road

The fire in the stove sure feels good this morning; kinda' helps to take away the chill in the house and the aches in an old man's bones. 

Friday was a tale of two cities. The day began as cloudy and very warm. When I walked out to the shop early in the morning, the temperature was a balmy 64. A check less than an hour later showed that it had dropped to 45 degrees. 

And windy! Lord it blew and howled and many of the pretty leaves that had adorned the trees along our drive were now lying on the ground. So much for peak color season.

I spent much of the morning in the shop working on an old chain saw.

I'd last used it when removing the two trees, stumps, and roots, from where the new area was added onto the garden early last spring. Filled with sawdust and dirt, The saw was simply put away and forgotten about.



Generally I'm pretty good about regular maintenance, but I dropped the ball on this one. 

Other than sharpen the chain, I believe the machine is ready to cut some wood this next week. It's been cleaned, fixed, wiped, and lubricated, and should be good to go.

Funny thing about that old Homelite chainsaw. I purchased it online for $45 as a reconditioned spare eight years ago. I thought it might serve as a back up to a much larger Husqvarna. The Homelite has run so well and is so light weight and dependable, that it's become my main power saw. It's been a good one.

Cleaned, fixed, and ready to go. I had to manufacture a metal piece for seating that required cutting and drilling so a bolt might screw through it. It took a while, but it worked.

Sargie and I spent most of the afternoon driving around the area looking at leaves.

Some areas, those out of the wind, were still pretty, but we were surprised how many bare patches are beginning to appear in the woods.

Once home, Sargie and I began the process of storing the patio furniture above the shop in the barn. We had a pretty good assembly line going. She'd hand the furniture up and I'd grab each piece over the side and hoist it up and over a rafter and onto the floor.

Never, I repeat, NEVER take a picture of someone who is waiting for you to grab a table while she is performing a balancing act several rungs up a ladder. 

We met Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri last night for a good Friday night fish fry. As always, we talked and laughed and ate entirely too much.

Sargie opens the Vision Center this morning, but will be finished at noon so we can attend a four o'clock wedding this afternoon. 

I'm going to go for my walk this morning then hope to finish the chainsaw and get it running. I'll have to quit whatever I'm doing early so I can get ready for the big wedding. 

Time to throw another log on the fire and pour a cup of coffee. Maybe I'll even think a deep thought while I'm at it.

With all the rain that's fallen, mushrooms are popping up everywhere.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...