Look what came in Monday's mail.
It's official! I'm old!

February 28, 2017 - Tuesday

30 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Sure enough, I'll finally get to take advantage of your tax dollars and my hard-earned contributions from the past fifty years in a mere four months. According to Social Security's calculations, I began contributing at age fourteen when I obtained a work permit and mowed grass for our community's public schools. I've been working and paying in ever since in one way or the other. 

Wow, Medicare. I'm extremely fortunate that I retired with full defined benefits out of Alaska. My current health coverage will become my secondary insurance and I'll let Medicare do the rest. From what I have learned, I can just sit back and let it happen around me. Come June 1st, everything automatically switches. Bring 'er awn.

I'm so tickled this morning. I received an email from one of my former graduate students, Tia, who is a special needs teacher in Kenai, Alaska. 

I worked with Tia when she interned in Petersburg, Alaska, years ago, and we developed a wonderful working bond. As time went on, we became friends, but I'd lost touch with her after retiring. 

I well remember the first day I walked into Tia's classroom. She was so afraid and insecure. Poor thing. I gave her a big hug, a smile, and assured her that between her mentor teacher and me, we'd get her through her student teaching and she'd be just fine.

My predictions came true. Tia is doing well and even has a student teacher of her own. 

Sometimes rewards are few and far between in the business of education, but occasionally, a student comes along that makes it all worthwhile. I'm happy to sit back, close my eyes and remember when Tia was one of my kids.

Just reminiscing here... that class had several outstanding students. What a magical year. Another student, Joanna, an old soul who was born to teach. Then there was a young man, Paul? I can't remember his name off hand, but he was a born educator who managed to get even the biggest and toughest boys in his high school classes to practice yoga. There was a young lady who was a mountaineering guide and had summited Mt Denali, North America's tallest peak, several times. 

I was so lucky to work with such a wonderful, talented, group of graduate students. How fortunate am I now that I can sit and think back on those days and simply smile. Life has been good.

Monday morning was spent in the shop. I turned a small figure out of hickory to send out to Isabella. Sarah has said one of her favorite toys is the small snowman we gave her for Christmas. This will be a little girl made out of the hickory that Isabella's grandpa, Yooper Brother Mark, brought back from Kentucky. I'm hoping to talk Sargie into painting the figure so I can get that, along with other goodies, out in the mail.

I was busy, turning, when I noticed dust was everywhere. My homemade dust collector wasn't working. What the heck?

Seems the collector has been working a little too good. The filter was so clogged that it's a wonder the motor didn't burn out.

Sargie takes off her rings and other goodies each night and lays them on the bathroom counter. I've come close to knocking something or the other off several times, so I decided to turn a larger, shallow, bowl made from white birch for her.

This is a new design I'd never tried before.

In the end, it seemed to all come together.

I've been making block names for the grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, and worked on Aubrey's yesterday. I have five or six completed and still have a bunch to go.

Some are made free hand, other letters are traced. Sargie thinks I should custom make them to sell, but I'm not so sure. If I do, it won't be until next fall. There aren't enough hours in the day now, let alone when summer arrives and gardening season begins.

Sargie and I went for our usual day-off drive around the countryside.

Despite last week's warm weather, there's plenty of ice left on the area lakes, enough that people are driving cars and trucks to their favorite fishing places.

Late Monday afternoon and evening was spent being lazy. I watched turning videos on Youtube while Sargie did her thing. 

Talk about frustrating. This red pine squirrel has been stealing from the bird feeder. I placed a trap nearby, but so far, he's not taken the bait. Undaunted, I swear, he will be mine. Oh yes, by all that is holy, that bushy-tailed rat will be mine.

This is Sargie's last day of vacation and I'll let her decide what's on the agenda. I just came inside after turning the heat on in the shop. Guess I'll grab another cup of coffee and head out that way, see what kind of mess I can make this morning.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

We received a big welcome home in the form of heavy snow squalls early Sunday afternoon.

February 27, 2017 - Monday

-5 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's always good to get away, but isn't it great coming back home! 

We had a wonderful weekend with the family. Other than the hot tub being broken, a person couldn't have written a better scenario.

We left Gladstone Sunday morning in time to pick up Brutus at the kennels before their mid day four-hour closure. Originally the plan was to spend Sunday shopping, but Sargie said there was nothing she really needed. I was the same, so we put the pedal to the metal and made it to the kennels before they closed at 11:30.

Sunday afternoon was a lazy one. I spent time outside plowing several inches of snow from the drive and had just gotten it cleaned when the first of several heavy snow squalls blew through.

Other than carry in wood, I did absolutely nothing the entire afternoon other than watch television and talk with Sargie. She would tell you the same. We were lazy.

It might have been snowing and cold this weekend in the UP, but along the coast of southern Maine, my grandson, Wyatt, decided fifty-five degrees was warm enough to play in the sand and water.

Wyatt is a carbon copy of his father, my oldest son, Josh, at that age. Just like his dad, he obviously enjoys the water, regardless of the temperature or time of year.

Grandson, Coleman, had a successful wrestling tournament this past weekend. 

He placed third in his division against some tough competition and is looking forward to the state meet the week after next. 

Sargie's on vacation for the next two days, so I'll let her set our agenda. I know we have a few errands to run later today. The temperature is to be in the 40's and it's time to get the boiling pans and spouts ready for another maple syrup season. I wish I could hook up the hose and high pressure washer and do it all right. With the temperature reading five below zero, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Meanwhile, I think I'll go out and turn the heat on in the shop and let it warm up while I finish writing. I'm beginning to suffer wood shaving withdrawals after being away this past weekend. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Brutus is heading home after a weekend at the kennels

The Milligan sisters
left to right - Trish, Holly, Sargie, Jeanne, Nancy

February 26, 2017 - Sunday

16 degrees/snow showers/breezy

Gladstone, Michigan

First off, happy birthday to my youngest son, Andy. I'm not exactly certain where in the world he is at this moment, possibly home in Maine, probably in Louisiana, but he very well could be working on a boat out in the Gulf of Mexico or some other body of water. At any rate, Happy birthday, buddy. I love you.

Once again, I find myself alongside the pool in a manmade tropical paradise while the snow falls and the wind blows on the other side of the glass. Since we have to drive home later today, it's not nearly as entertaining to watch as it was yesterday. Oh well, we'll make it just fine.

Saturday was a family day filled with shopping in the morning, talking and being lazy in the afternoon, followed by dining and dancing in the evening.

Since there was a thick coating of ice covering the vehicles, we let them warm up then scraped the remaining ice. We were about to pull out from the parking lot when sister-in-law, Jeanne, appeared and began scraping the ice from my backseat window. I think that girl has a future as a professional ice scraper!

The girls went their way, we went ours. I bought $29 worth of stuff at the local big box lumber store that I could have lived without, mostly scroll saw blades.

Brother-in-law, Ron, was teasing me about "photo moments" so it seems every time I saw a clerk who asked to help, we got our pictures taken.

This young lady really wanted to sell us patio furniture. 

We ended our morning excursion at a restaurant/lounge, the Log Cabin, scouting places for Saturday night's supper. 

The views out of the Log Cabin's windows are either of Lake Michigan on one side or of a gazebo, waterfall, and pond on the other. 

The four of us boys had a lot of fun playing the Train Game. Canadian Pacific Railway runs by the lounge and each time the train passed, we'd pay a quarter and roll five dice. The same number on all five resulted in winning the pot, around $200 dollars. Four dice would reward the winner with a free shot of his favorite beverage. I'm glad I didn't roll four dice. Who wants a shot of Coke? The pot grew by a couple of dollars yesterday as none of us won and no free shots were given out.

Another photo moment presented itself with our waitress, Ashley.

 

I learned that Ashley is student at Bay College majoring in Human Resources. She is a sweetheart and I found myself wishing I had a son with whom to fix her up. Sorry, Ashley, they are all taken.

I enjoyed making my own Virgin Mary, a non alcohol Bloody Mary, at the Bloody Mary bar. One of the guys later teased me that my drink looked more like a vegetable garden than something one would sip.

Let's see, lemon, mushrooms, hot pepper, celery, asparagus, celery, a pickle, and let's not forget several slices of pepperoni. Oh yeah, there was just enough room for a splash of tomato juice laden with tobasco sauce.

Sargie, being the big drinker she is, later had this very adult drink in the evening. 

I'm not sure what it is other than it's adorned with gummy bears and has crushed Oreo cookies along the rim. Looks like chocolate milk fills the glass. 

Watch out, Sargie and I are heavy hitters.

I had the best steak I've enjoyed in years at dinner last night. A 14 ounce ribeye grilled to medium rare and a baked potato with extra butter and sour cream. The diet will begin this coming week.

Sargie ordered some kind of fancy chicken noodle combination that was also delicious.

At the family's insistence, I later sat at the grand piano in the dining room and played. It's hard to believe that I once entertained crowds of diners for four hours straight playing the piano while they danced and sang along. The last time I played was a year ago last Christmas and I found my fingers arent nearly as nimble as they once were. I quit after a couple of songs before I could embarrass myself too badly. 

Dinner over, we spent the evening dancing and singing to the live music.

Uncle Donny and Trish tore up the dance floor. Jeanne and Boyd and Sargie and I later joined them.

One thing I'll say about Uncle Donny, (as Andy calls him) that guy can sure dance. I've taken to calling him Donny Travolta after John Travolta's character he played in the 70's disco dance movie, Saturday Night Fever. All Donny needs is the carefully coifed hair.

The evening ended fairly early and we made our way back to the hotel. Most of the family gathered in one room to talk and catch up. I made a token appearance long enough to eat two of Holly's chocolate chip cookies, then disappeared down the hall and went to bed. Sargie said she joined me around midnight. I wouldn't know. I was sound asleep.

Check out time is at 11 this morning. Since we can't pick up Brutus until 4:30 this afternoon, Sargie and I will, no doubt, do some shopping while we're in town, take our time, and eat a late lunch.

Thankfully, my girl is off for the next two days and it's not like we have to get home early so she can get ready for another week of work.

I think I'm going to wander down the hall and begin making noise, see if anyone else is awake and moving. This business of being the token early morning person can be a lonely proposition. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

We're here on the sunny shores of Lake Michigan!

February 25, 2017 - Saturday

20 degrees/snow showers/windy

Gladstone, Michigan

I'm certain somewhere behind those clouds lies a tropical paradise with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Unfortunately, it seems we're on the wrong side of the overcast. 

Who cares, it's tropical where I'm sitting, alongside the indoor pool.

Getting to our resort/hotel was a bit of a challenge yesterday. We left home at 8:30, dropped Brutus off at the kennels by 9:15, and arrived at Holly and Ross's forty-five minutes later. 

Boyd and Jeanne soon arrived and we left in a convoy with Sargie and I bringing up the rear. I was fearful the other two cars would go too fast for us to keep up, but I needn't have worried. The roads were bad enough that no one could go very fast.

The only clear roads we saw were on the outskirts of Escanaba

Since we were a bit early to check in, a group decision was made to stop for lunch. 

I enjoyed a Reuben sandwich that would have fed the entire starving third world countries. The half I didn't eat will be enjoyed this coming week.

It was early to mid afternoon before we arrived at our destination.

I've unloaded cars in difficult conditions, but yesterday's ranked right up there. The snow was coming down sideways, the wind brutal.

While checking in, Nancy paused long enough to give us one of her famous JC Penney modeling poses. 

Our rooms overlook Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, I doubt any of the balconies will be utilized this weekend.

Other than ice fishermen coming and going, waterfront action is pretty sparse.

The afternoon was spent sitting around the pool, gabbing, laughing, and eating. The biggest excitement of the day was watching a four wheeler go through the ice into shallow water.

With help, the ATV was finally lifted onto more solid ice and eventually made it to shore. I've heard rumors that the water of Lake Michigan is particularly wet this time of year.

We ate at the restaurant here last night. I had a big boy's helping of mac and cheese, one that was adorned with deep fried onion rings and contained smoked bacon and Maine lobster. Sargie enjoyed beer battered walleye, a filet that covered the length of her platter-sized plate. 

We were told that no food contains any calories if one eats it while on vacation, so we happily chowed down guilt-free.

 

The evening ended with all of us sitting in the lounge, listening to a young college coed warble along with pre recorded background music. Old weekend band performers, Ron and I both agreed she needed to turn down the treble and add some bass. The music got a bit screechy at times.

We knew we were old when the young girl said she was going to sing music from our generation, then introduced a song from Pink. 

Pink?

When I was her age, pink was still a color.

We're a bunch of party animals. Goodnights were said around 9 PM and Sargie and I were asleep by 10. 

Trish and Donny are to arrive sometime today. I'm not at all sure what's on the agenda, but judging from the weather, I'd say maybe there'll be a bit of shopping and sight seeing, but mostly, we'll sit around the pool, talking, laughing, and eating. It's what we seem to do the best.

Time to get another cup of coffee and make enough noise to wake the others. Hey, we're on vacation. No sense wasting the time sleeping and lying in bed. There's a pool to enjoy, happenings to talk about, and most importantly, food to eat. Don't they remember that calories don't count if eaten while on vacation?

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

After three inches of wet, heavy, snow early Thursday morning, the world looked like a picture postcard.

February 24, 2017 - Friday
25 degrees/cloudy/breezy
Pentoga Road

You might know. We've been looking forward to this coming weekend for the past year and as luck would have it, a winter storm is approaching the area. Local schools have been cancelled and Carl the Weatherman is saying conditions will be deteriorating throughout the day. 

Hey, I didn't just spend several hundred dollars on the Blazer to see it sit in the barn. We'll be putting it in four-wheel drive and leaving home around 8:30 this morning. As mentioned yesterday, I once traveled thousands of mile a year across the arctic, alone, on snowmobile, year in and year out. You think I'm going to let a few inches of snow deter us from participating in the annual big person Milligan Family Sister Winterfest? Think again.

Plan B - If the roads are absolutely impassable, I'll drive the snowmobile and pull Sargie on Grady's sled behind. It's only seventy miles and Grady won't care.

Plan C - Pick my head and teeth up off the ground after I suggest to Sargie that she ride in a plastic sled for seventy miles.

Plan D - Use some common sense and hopefully, road conditions will allow us to go as planned.

Despite the smattering of snow, Thursday turned out to be a fairly warm and absolutely gorgeous day. I rode with Sargie several miles towards Iron Mountain and walked back home.

Bye Sargie! See you tonight.

The trees were flocked with wet snow and with the sun so bright, the world seemed animated.

I plowed the drive and cleaned the patio after arriving home. It wasn't difficult and didn't take long.

The rest of the morning was dedicated to laundry. I'd love to tease Sargie about all her dirty clothes, but I had just as many. Between her work and me playing in the sawdust and dirt, it seems we have no problem finding plenty of clothing to wash twice each week.

I headed to the shop and cut out a parrot on the scroll saw.

I'll paint the bird next week and get it out in the mail to yet another munchkin. 

I was tired of making puzzles and doing the usual projects in the shop. It was time to think outside the box, to let the artistic inner me branch out and try my hand at something different, unique if you will. The last time I felt so artistic, I ended up building umpteen pyramid strawberry planters. With my sensitivity meter spiking and thinking a deep thought, I quietly approached the lathe.

I'd seen a picture on the internet of a candlestick that was off center, really off center, earlier this winter. After several months of pondering, I came to the realization that it had been mounted twice in the lathe, once in the middle, the second time off to one side.



And so it began. Once I mounted piece of wild cherry off center, the lathe shook, rattled, and rolled, and I feared the entire thing would either break or come loose and fly at my head. 

It didn't and in the end, I had a strange looking candlestick.

I was surprised that it stood solidly on its own. I guess as long as the top and bottom are centered, anything in the middle is irrelevant. 

There's still a lot of sanding (by hand) to be done and I want to shape the top so flows a bit better, but by and large, the pop art candlestick holder is done.

It's certainly not a puzzle or bowl

We took the Kia to Mechanic Dave's last night and left it for the weekend. At 170,000 miles, we decided to have the timing belt changed. Now that the Kia is officially broken in, we'd like it to last another 500,000 miles or more.

Sargie and I made a big bag of popcorn to take with us this weekend, watched a bit of television, and ended the evening packing our suitcase. 

I have two shirts, a pair of jeans, clean underthings, and my most important article of clothing, my swim trunks. I'm looking forward to Ross, Boyd, and I, gliding through the water of the large indoor pool, barely making a ripple. No doubt we'll be swimming laps, enjoying good natured competition and undoubtedly, the spirits of Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller will be with us.

Okay, I lied.

We'll be the three old guys standing belly button deep in the shallow end gabbing a mile a minute. Our biggest decision will be if we ought to move from the pool to the jacuzzi or skip the hot tub and rejoin the ladies sitting around a huge snack-laden table.

It's time to get Sargie up. We'll leave here a bit earlier than planned so we can navigate Pentoga Road before it becomes drifted and possibly blocked. Currently, a heavy snow is falling. Our first stop will be to leave Brutus at the kennels, then to get gas in Iron Mountain, and finally, drive to Holly and Ross's house. We'll follow them to the resort.

So until tomorrow, just remember, a man's work is never done, even if it means standing belly button deep in a warm, olympic-sized pool with the spirits of Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller weighing heavily upon him.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Wearing my pretend astronaut shield

February 22, 2017 - Thursday

30 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

What is this? We went from sunny skies and green grass to three inches of wet, heavy, snow, during the eight overnight hours. To make matters worse, Carl the Weatherman is saying we could get a winter storm beginning late tonight and lasting into Saturday. 

Other than piddling around in the shop, Wednesday was a pretty ho-hum day in the neighborhood. Emotionally, I'm into the late winter doldrums. My mind knows spring is at least four to six weeks away (optimum) but my body and soul are ready now. There are all kinds of projects I could do, but I don't want to do any. 

Yep, I'm going through the late winter blahs.

Taken a few minutes ago.
Susan from San Diego said she was looking forward to seeing more snow pictures in the days to come. No doubt, there'll be many more.

On a side note, I checked back into previous entries and found that I didn't begin planting in the indoor greenhouses until March 10th last year. The timing was almost perfect, so I'll wait a couple more weeks. I was hoping to play in the dirt a bit earlier, even if it was inside. 

Sigh.

I stepped off my five miles in good shape on Wednesday morning. At first, I was somewhat fearful as I'm breaking in new hiking boots, but they were extremely comfortable and I arrived home with nary a blister or raw spot. 

The rest of the morning was spent in the shop fashioning a name for one of the kiddies out of a block of wood. I enjoy cutting and carving and it's something I can do while sitting in the shop listening to music. (Sargie has a problem with me whittling while sitting in her recliner in the living room. The girl has no sense of artistic ambience.) 

I talked with the mechanic who said the Blazer was finished. Yooper Brother Mark came out later in the afternoon and drove me to town.

The rest of the day was spent turning a bowl out of a large chunk of birch wood that I had to split and size down on the bandsaw. I've always used branches that are a more convenient girth.

I discovered that it can take as long or longer to get the wood ready for the lathe as it does to actually turn a bowl. I also found the grain from the trunk of a tree can "feel" quite differently when turning. 

A bowl, more rounded than usual, with a plain base, was fashioned. I'm practicing on larger wood so I can eventually make a sugar bowl and lid for the upcoming tea sets. The sugar bowl will have a fitted lid and be a bit more flattened with handles on each side.

 My main objective on Wednesday was to continue to learn how to make a better fitted lid.

Using Grandma Reinhardt's sugar bowl as an example from her China set, the lid I turned yesterday was inverted on the inside and in the end, fit much more snug than that from the day before. 

The knob was also larger and more practical.

I turned the lathe off before Sargie arrived home and dashed through the shower. We had a quiet evening catching up on past programs recorded on the DVR.

Sargie opens today and should be home early tonight. I'm going for my walk then clean the drive and patio of snow before heading back to the shop. There are several kiddy projects I'd like to finish before week's end.

A winter storm is bearing down on the UP that's to begin late tonight and last through Saturday. The four-wheel-drive works well on the Blazer so I'm not worried about making it to our family destination tomorrow... I think. We'll see.

Meanwhile, it's time to tote that barge and lift that bale.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...