The first flower of the spring, a viola.
Some know it as a Johnny Jump Up.
Other's refer to the flower as a simple violet.

April 30, 2017 - Sunday

38 degrees/cloudy/windy

Pentoga Road

The alarm didn't go off Saturday morning, thus, no blog. Needless to say, blankets were flying everywhere to make up time.

Friday began with an early morning visit to the dentist's office.

I was greeted by two of my BFF's, Michaela, who was manning the reception area, and Brittany, who cleaned my teeth. 

Michaela and Brittany

Why do I feel rather senior-like when realizing both girls aren't that many years older than Abigail, my oldest granddaughter?

Eric the Dentist, who may not be as old as Andy, my youngest son, later spent some time poking and prodding in my mouth and informed me I have a cavity, one that will be drilled and filled in June. 

The journey home was magical. The freezing rain that had fallen the day before coated the trees and bushes and when the sun finally poked out from behind the clouds, everything seemed to glitter. 

The snow and ice finally began melting in ernest by midmorning, but before it completely disappeared, I noticed we'd had a visitor trekking through the back yard.

A wild turkey walked up our drive, alongside the garage, stopped on the cobblestone walk long enough to make a mess, then continued through the backyard and out to the woods.

Most of the day was spent in the shop working on a scroll saw piece I'd started earlier.

I'm so disappointed in the way the paint dried after applying it to the various layers. It's way too thick and covers the delicate features that make this piece what it is.

Live and learn. I'll do the multi layer piece again at some point in the future. Quality, texture, and the consistency of paint and tints is something I know nothing about. You better believe I'll learn before I go to this much work again.

Sargie had to close Friday night creating the perfect opportunity to fix myself one of my favorite meals, fried chicken gizzards, mashed taters, and good old fashioned, stir-in-the-pan, flour/grease gravy with fried crusties from the gizzards.

I even splurged and added bacon bits to the mashed potatoes. As long as I was eating a healthy and balanced supper, I figured I might as well do it up right.

With supper finished and plenty of light left in the day, I washed the dishes, took a quick shower, then drove to Iron Mountain so I could ride back with Sargie. It's something we both enjoy and makes her late-night drive seem a bit shorter.

Sargie opened the Vision Center Saturday morning. I retrieved the Blazer and finding nothing I couldn't live without, came back home.

The morning and part of the afternoon were spent in the garden and greenhouse. With the wind fairly light, I sprayed Round Up, weed killer, around the those hard to weed areas in the garden. After, I transplanted the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and chocolate cherry tomatoes into six packs.

Cabbage seed that had sprouted between the layers of wet paper towel. I started planting my seeds this way many years ago and it's become a habit. It would be much simpler to plant the seeds directly into the potting soil and six packs. 

I hope the weather shapes up as I'll have a garden full of plants to set out in the near future and I'm out of room in the greenhouses to grow many more.

As it is now, I move the trays of flowers and vegetable plants outside on sunny days so they can be exposed to the sunlight.

Problem is, all have to be brought back inside each evening before the temperature drops below freezing.

I had wanted to begin work on the front stoop, replacing old timbers and gravel with pavers and updating the entire entryway. There was just one problem.

I'd hit the stoop with the snow plow earlier this winter causing the old, rotten, timbers to completely fall apart. All will be replaced and/or eliminated as soon as the weather permits.

The snow makes landscaping and updating almost impossible. I've put that job on the back burner until warmer weather returns.

The rest of Saturday was spent in the shop. There was an invention... no, more like a renovation, that was first on the agenda.

I'm tired of sitting at the scroll saw with my back to the television. I have it on for the noise factor, to keep me company, but occasionally, I'll hear something that causes me to shut the saw off and turn around.

I placed the inexpensive mirror in front of me to reflect the television screen mounted directly behind, across the shop. The mirror image causes the action to be backwards, but then so is the guy who came up with this idea. 

Hey, this old retired professor still has a deep thought or two left in his think-tank. Boom.

While I was enjoying backwards television, I was also sawing and painting a puppy puzzle.

After the strain of sawing the multi layered church scene this past week, I enjoyed using a large blade to cut along the big, bold, lines and making a simple child's toy.

I still had a piece of maple limb in the shop. What to do? What to do!

In the end, I did what any grandpa with half a brain does. I laid back in the recliner and took an hour's nap. 

The slumber revived my brain cells and I mounted the maple, a piece of stick, really, on the lathe.

The butt was wrapped in a paper towel to lessen the marks made from the jaws. It worked. There weren't any.

The uneven walls are caused from the piece being uneven in the lathe.

I'm not certain what a person does with small, natural, maple bowls made from sticks, but the second was finished before afternoon's end.

Sargie walked in last night with pizza in hand. Knowing she was off today, it was a joyous couple who ate the entire thing and finished the evening off with bowls of ice cream. Fat be darned! We were celebrating the weekend!

I'm heading out to the shop in short order. There are several messes to clean before I begin to make another. 

No doubt, later, we'll go for our usual ride, grab a Coke or two, and somewhere along the way, solve all the world's problems.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Another inch and three tenths of water fell on Thursday, all in the form of freezing rain and later, snow. Water equivalent for the past two days - 4.4 inches.

April 28, 2017 - Friday

22 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

We've experienced some lousy weather in the past, but Thursday probably took the prize. It was so humid and wet that keeping a hot fire going in the stove was difficult. The normally dry wood acted like a sponge and had absorbed moisture from the air. Simply put, it was miserable, even inside the house.

The precipitation began simply as rain, then turned to freezing rain.

Sargie had a dentist's appointment at mid morning and I went with, mostly because misery loves company. Dentist's appointments are one thing, slipping and sliding to get there just adds fuel to the fire. 

Ice covered the roads, trees, the car, our world, making driving extremely slippery.

It was good to see our friends, Eric, Brenda, Peggy, Betsy, and Melonie, at the dentist's office. Between a bit of malfunctioning equipment and the inclement weather, appointments were running behind, but that was okay. We used the slack time as an excuse to have a social occasion and catch up on all the local news and happenings... only in small town America.

Hugs and goodbye's said, we slid home as the freezing rain had turned to snow. It was the perfect day to throw another log on the fire and stay inside. 

I grabbed the vacuum sweeper and Sargie the dust rag. It was house cleaning time on Pentoga Road.

Practicing her "No Dust Left Behind" philosophy, Sargie's swiping the living room from top to bottom.

The remainder of the day was a lazy one, watching a movie, eating, reading the paper, and eating more. 

I did sneak out to the shop later on and sanded the scroll saw piece for a while. I hope to finish cutting and sanding the layers today, possibly gluing them into place.

Sargie closes tonight. Thankfully, the roads should be melted and in good shape for her commute.

It's my turn to sit in the dentist's chair this morning. I have an 8 o'clock appointment for cleaning and a check up. I'm planning to spend the rest of the day in the shop. It's much too wet, icy, snowy, and muddy, to do anything outside.

I guess I ought to throw another log on the fire and pretend to think at least one deep thought before it's time to go. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Wednesday was shop day on Pentoga Road

April 27, 2017 - Thursday

29 degrees/freezing rain/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Ah, you can't beat this weather. Yeah, I know, it seems I begin every morning talking about the weather, but you have to understand, when one lives in the fast lane on Pentoga Road, weather's a big deal.

Driven from the overly saturated ground, even the worms were in the fast lane crossing the drive.

Rain? You bet. Two and three quarters on an inch had fallen as of last evening.

Another three tenths fell overnight causing the water table to once again rise and form Lake Pentoga.

I took advantage of yesterday's rain and set the bedding plants outside to be watered. There's something about a natural rain that watering by hand can't replace.

It had only been twenty-four hours since putting several giant pumpkin seeds between damp paper towels and placing them in a sandwich bag. I found six had sprouted while checking on their progress yesterday. Those were immediately planted in three inch pots.

It's hard to believe that (hopefully) a six-hundred pound fruit can come from such a humble beginning. 

Most of the day was spent in the shop. I loved my surroundings, the rain pounding on the roof and against the window, big band music playing in the background, the propane heater keeping the room toasty warm.

The first project of the day was to make a name for a young grandchild of a friend of our's.

Sargie's off today, Marion, but she'll have it with her at the Vision Center the next time you are in the neighborhood!

Much of Wednesday was spent sitting at the scroll saw creating a layered piece.

Talk about eyeball wrenching work. Even with the strong magnifiers, I could only saw for a few minutes before stopping, rest, begin again, quit, and the cycle was repeated off and on throughout the day. 

There are four layers in this particular piece, all a different shade of wood, that will create a 3-D effect. 

Assuming the piece turns out and is worthy, it will be given as a gift.

Sargie was home early last night. We fixed tuna salad for supper and spent the evening relaxing by the wood stove in front of the television.

Sargie's off today and has a dentist appointment later this morning. Since it's currently pouring freezing rain, I'll go with her and read my Kindle while waiting. 

I hope the weight of the ice doesn't tear out the new grafts on my apple trees.

As for the rest of the day, who knows? Hey, Sargie's home, we're young and alive, one to three inches of snow is forecast, and there's a warm and cozy fire in the wood stove. Maybe we'll put on some romantic music and... clean house.

Yep, Sargie says this is the perfect day to clean. 

If only you had my life.

After all, a man's work (and that of his woman) is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

For Wednesday night's dessert, a chocolate/blackberry sundae.
I'm fairly certain that a very wise person once said, "Man cannot live on tuna alone."

Next winter's wood is worked up and ready to burn.. and oh, where did that big hillbilly woodpile disappear to?

April 26, 2017 - Wednesday

45 degrees/rain/calm winds

Pentoga Road

There's an inch and a half of rain showing in the gauge this morning, all of it having fallen overnight. Carl the Weatherman is predicting another half inch today, then freezing rain/snow to begin overnight and into tomorrow. Thankfully, any mention of large accumulations has been dropped.

Tuesday was all about wood, lots and lots of wood.

That small electric splitter that Sargie urged me to purchase while on sale last summer has paid for itself several times over. I had to swing the 12 lb maul only twice yesterday.

I'm not certain how many large wheel barrow loads were hauled, worked up, and put away, but well over forty trips were made to the woodpile.

As of Sunday, the pile was this big.

By 4 PM last night, this was all that was left.

I haven't worked up that much wood all at one time in several years and honestly, with the aid of a couple of Ibuprofen pills, don't feel too bad this morning. 

The area will now be raked clean, all tarps either thrown or put away, any odds and ends picked up, and preparations made to build another shed using the trees as corner posts. Hopefully, by fall, outdoor wood piles will be a thing of the past. It certainly will make bringing in wood during the winter months much easier.

Ivy and I did a bit of Facetime video conferencing earlier. She also let Andy talk for a bit. 

I'm grateful that Andy calls as much as he does. Ivy is getting to where she recognizes her Grandpa when we video conference. We have rather deep conversations that involve making strange noises combined with funny faces.

Sargie was home early last night. We ate the last of the clam chowder while watching Monday night's Dancing With the Stars on DVR. Bedtime came shortly after.

Today will definitely be a shop day. With puddles of water everywhere, it's too wet to play outside. I have a name or two to carve and I've been getting the itch to do something on the scroll saw. 

I'm also thinking that big ol' recliner in the shop will be calling my name after lunch. Chilly temperatures outside, warm inside, rain hitting the metal roof, a comfortable chair... yep, I already hear it.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I found this in the pile of wood from Yooper Brother Mark's plant. I hope the aspiring artist didn't give up his day job.

The Stars and Stripes flying high on Pentoga Road

April 25, 2017 - Tuesday

44 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

With a high of 65 and sunny, Monday was a pleasant surprise. Today, at least this morning, is to be the same. Rain is to move in this afternoon and to continue throughout the week with snow in the forecast.

I started assembling the flag pole yesterday immediately after returning home from my daily walk. Though the day started very cool, in the mid 20's, it quickly warmed and I was working in my shirt sleeves before morning's end. 

Whoever penned the instructions knew how to write in full sentences and conjugate verbs, a dying art.  The flag must have been made in America and the instructions written by someone who could actually speak English.

The flag raising ceremony followed soon after. I retrieved the smart phone from my pocket and went directly to Youtube where I punched in the Star Spangled Banner. Lady Gaga's performance at the Super Bowl blared while the flag was slowly hoisted to the top. 

I waited for the military jets to fly overhead in a salute, but had to settle for a fluttering Jimmy the Chickadee who followed me around all day.

It was time to ready the rest of the warm weather garden seeds for germination.

Three types of giant pumpkin seeds were placed between damp paper towels along with those of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and chocolate cherry tomato. I'll be busy putting the sprouts into either pots or six packs in the next two to three days.



The rest of Monday was spent working on Sargie's hillbilly woodpile. 



I labored until 1 PM before taking an hour break for lunch. Reinvigorated, I worked another three hours hauling and splitting the chunks of wood before throwing them in the shed.

The huge pile is over half gone and I hope to see it completely disappear before week's end. Of course, much depends on the weather. 

I tried picking up any scrap wood meant for the burn pile as I worked. There are always odd pieces, those that are too long, too rotten, or for whatever reason, aren't fit for burning in the wood stove.




I was coming back from the burn pile when I happened to glance over at the old truck. The area seemed dry enough that I could move it closer to the barn without getting stuck. 



The Man Truck roared to life and was soon relocated to the rear of the back yard. The biggest piece of mechanical magic needed is to find a bread tie used to attach the broken cable to the throttle. The previous one lasted six years.

It was a tired boy who shuffled into the house last evening. I took a shower and enjoyed leftover biscuits and clam chowder while waiting for Sargie to arrive home from work. It was 9:30 before my girl walked through the door.

I'm going to skip my usual walk this morning and begin working on the wood pile as soon as Sargie leaves for work. I would like to get as much done as possible before this body runs out of energy.

It's time to pour another cup of coffee and listen to the news before getting the day started, kind of the calm before the storm.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

For whatever reason, Jimmy spent most the day either on my shoulder or on a low overhead branch. Maybe he was bidding me farewell before he disappears deep into the woods for the summer months to help raise a family.