Saturday was Pumpkin Day on Pentoga Road

October 23, 2016 - Sunday

30 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's starting as a beautiful Sunday outside our windows this morning, but rain is forecast for this afternoon. Just what we need, more precipitation. 

Lake Pentoga has receded just slightly, maybe three or four inches, but remains on top of the ground with no indication that it's going away soon.

Ah, this is nice. Let's see, an inch of snow is forecast for Wednesday morning, another inch on Wednesday evening, and still another inch for Thursday morning. 

What the heck?! Sleigh bells ring, are ya' listenin'? On my drive, snow is glistenin'....

Still, this is better than two years ago when I was ice fishing the first week of November. The snow won't stick, (or will it) but I'm simply not ready to see the white stuff quite yet.

Ivy turned ten months old this past week

Saturday morning began by starting construction on the wood splitter cart. Originally, two tires that I'd purchased years ago at Insurance Liquidators were going to be used, but I quickly found that they had a fatal case of dry rot while hanging on the barn wall all those years. 

Both had lost air and when I attempted to compress them in an attempt to seat each, the rubber cracked and fell apart in my hands. It was back to square one.

Meanwhile, I worked on the base of the cart that consisted of four, forty-eight inch long two by fours lying side by side and all tied together. 

Sargie came out later in the morning saying she was ready to help load pumpkins. We backed the Blazer to the front of the house and began taking them off the porch where they've been kept.

We really wanted to take the largest giant pumpkin to Derek's, but with the trailer under water, that wasn't going to happen. I measured the smaller of the two giants. It wasn't all that large. Hmm, it would fit in the back of the Blazer, but how to get it there?

The problem was finally solved by placing a ratcheting strap around the beast, attaching the tow strap to that, then threading it through the back of the SUV, out the passenger side door, and finally, attaching it to the four wheeler. I'd laid two loading ramps from the ground onto the tailgate with a tarp over each.

 When I gave the signal, Sargie drove the four wheeler straight ahead, pulling the pumpkin up the ramp.

After careful collaboration combined with precise mathematical and engineering guesswork, the beast lay inside the Blazer. It was time to deliver pumpkins!

Our first stop was at Grady's house where we left two pumpkins.

It was onto Holly and Ross's and found Ashley, Brent, and the girls were up for the weekend. Brielle got to pick which pumpkins they wanted.

Brielle and Piper are dressed to attend Aubry's birthday party. So close to Halloween, why not dress in costume?

Then it was a short drive to Derek and Leah's where we found plenty of help to unload the big pumpkin along with those the girls picked out.

How did the tradition of Derek getting the largest pumpkin begin? Several years ago, the first that Sargie and I gave out pumpkins, we randomly took out a rather large one and sat it on the ground while at Derek's. His first words were, "What the $*)# am I going to do with that?" 

Derek on the left, Boyd in the middle, and Brent

It dawned on me then that Nephew Derek, a very popular and well-liked lieutenant with the Dickinson Country Sheriff's Department and fighter of evil everywhere, really and truly loved giant pumpkins and I could tell he secretly hoped he would have the largest pumpkin of anyone on his block. Since that first year, I've tried to honor his wish. It's what keeps me growing large pumpkins year after year, to make that little guy's dream come true each fall.  

Marley and Aubry, dressed for Aubry Ann's birthday party, also chose out those pumpkins they wanted.

Our last stop was at Jeanne and Boyd's where we left more pumpkins along with a text to Sasha to come to her parent's and pick out what she wanted to carve. Sasha's a pumpkin artist and goes beyond carving mere jack-o-lanterns. I'm eager to see this year's creation.

We stopped by Home Depot where I purchased a piece of threaded rod along with two lawnmower wheels. Those seemed to be the best, inexpensive, solution for the log splitter cart.

After a quick stop for burgers, we made our way back to Pentoga Road.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent in the shop working on the cart while Sargie sang and bee bopped along with Elvis while cleaning house. 

I cut the back legs for the cart, drilled the holes, and ran the threaded rod through each.

The cart should be finished today. Bracing still needs to be attached to the front legs, a lip placed around the top, and some sort of handle added on the front. Once the splitter is placed on top, it will remain there with the cart moved from one wood shed to the other.

This is Sargie's last day off for a while. I'm going to attempt to finish the cart this morning. After that, I'll leave it up to Sargie to make the day's agenda. No doubt, we'll go for our usual day-off ride and I heard rumors there might be fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn, on the menu for the Sunday meal. It doesn't get any better than that.

But first, as Andy says, "That cart ain't gonna' build itself." Time to head to the shop, turn the heat on, and get to work.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Brutus can hardly believe his luck, to have his very own lake in his back yard. There's little doubt that the bulldog was a retriever in his former life... or a gay French Poodle in a Parisian court.