April 11, 2017 - Tuesday
28 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

So let me see if I have this right. We went from 80 degrees on Sunday:

To this on Monday:



And now 8 inches of this on Tuesday:



I don't like where this seems to be going.

After surviving Sunday night's storm, I assumed all was well, that is, until I opened the garage door early Monday morning.

Thankfully, there was enough room to get the Kia out and Sargie on her way.

I called the insurance company and got that process started, including learning that the first $500 would be coming out of my pocket, a deductible. 

I was to call a tree removal person, get an estimate for taking the tree off the roof, then another "clean up" estimate, and finally one from a contractor to repair any damage to the roof.

Sargie and I were examining the trunk last evening. The tree twisted a complete 180 degrees before falling. We suspect a tornado went overhead as it sounded as though a freight train was outside our door and we were pretty certain Grady wasn't around.

I crawled up the ladder and looked at the roof. No damage there. Thankfully, the tree had fallen parallel to the roof and laid down rather than rammed through it. The long branches seemed to have cushioned the blow.

Coming back inside, I had a decision to make. There was absolutely no reason why I couldn't remove the tree myself. Sometimes, I start to buy into the growing older/bad sight thing and actually begin to believe I'm incapable of doing something I've done my entire life. 

With that give 'em hell - Alaska Mountain Man frame of mind, I marched out the door and retrieved my chainsaw and ladders. It was time to get to work.



The first thing was to relieve any downward pressure on the roof. 



After that, it was a matter of cutting the trunk, with limbs still attached, into four to eight foot pieces and dragging them off behind the four wheeler.





The entire tree was dragged, one piece at a time, to the burn pile where, once the ground dries, I'll use the front end loader to stack them high and burn. We should have one heck of a bon fire on the evening of Mom's birthday party in June.

One piece at a time would be moved and placed beside the last.

Amazing. The house, Packer's flag, Brutus's doghouse, and Sargie's two pots of outdoor plants were all spared. If the tree had fallen just a few inches one way or the other, all could have been smashed to pieces.

After changing into dry clothes and warming by the wood stove, I took a quick drive around the area to see what else had been affected by Sunday night's big storm and significant rainfall.

Our lake is now open with no ice in sight. It's also the highest that I've ever seen it. 

I took the opportunity to gather a few large pre-aged, (dead) branches that were either on the road or in the ditch for future shop projects.

The remainder of the day was spent in the shop where I cleaned, then made another mess when I began turning an oblong bowl from birch. I hope to add a top today.

Sargie arrived home later Monday evening. She closes today so it will be another late one for her. Assuming the roads are plowed, I'm planning on driving over well before dark and riding back with her this evening. 

Meanwhile, I'm going to try to plow some of the snow from the drive. It's so wet that it might be impossible to move. 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

Tomorrow's forecast is for a high of 57 with sunny skies, so either way, the snow will be short lived.

Other than that, it's going to be a shop day. I'll turn up the heat, put on some music, and make some saw dust. Failing that, I may just plop in the big recliner and relax in preparation for what tomorrow morning's big surprise might be.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...