Monday signaled the start of spring cleaning in the basement

April 4, 2017 - Tuesday

40 degrees/cloudy skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

What's up with this spring cleaning anyway? I thought Sargie was on vacation, that we'd laze the days away in slug-like fashion while throwing our cares to the wind. 

That woman of mine sure knows how to ruin a good time.

It was after lunch when I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes for a quick nap. Two hours had passed when the sound of activity in the basement awakened me. I'd slept so hard that I thought it was the next day. 

What was that sound?

It was Sargie up to her elbows in old canned goods, all of them out of date, some by ten or more years. A couple were actually tin cans like we had when I was young, before aluminum became popular.

Well, what's a guy to do, sit on the bottom step and watch? I began putting all the disposables into a large clothes basket and brought them upstairs. The rest of the day was spent opening cans or jars and dumping their contents into five gallon buckets.

The trip up and down the steps was repeated several times and in the end, I emptied two very full five gallon buckets of glop in the woods. That doesn't count any liquid that was dumped down the drain. No doubt, there were some very happy bears last night.

A few jars of dill pickles, those I'd canned six years ago, were rediscovered with rusted rings and lids. I ended up in the shop, putting each in a wood vice, and using a large pair of channel lock pliers to loosen the lids.

Almost all of the goodies were left by the previous owners.

Old canning jars that had been full were emptied and washed to be used again this summer

The old canned goods were forgotten about over the years as we stacked newer ones in front.

There were also a lot of outdated herbal and natural supplements the previous owners left behind. Colon cleanse? No thanks.

I imagine there is a bear running around the north woods this morning with a very clean colon. As I told Mom before her operation and was enduring the day-before preparation, "A clean colon is a happy colon." 

Our bears should be down right giggly.

I spent a couple of hours in the shop on Monday morning assembling the first bluebird house.

I had some difficulty with the interior angles, but otherwise, it went together without a hitch. I hope to finish the second house either today or tomorrow.

We spent the rest of Monday morning in Iron Mountain. I ran errands while Sargie was at the beautician's.

The first stop was to recycle the several month's worth of plastic bottles that hold the flavored carbonated water I've become so fond of.

My next destination was Home Depot where enough pavers were purchased to replace the white gravel and landscape timbers that currently make up the front entry to the porch. Redesigning the entire area will begin once the ground is completely dry.

Normally $1.50 each, the pavers were on sale for 98 cents. Weighing 20 lbs each, the nose of the little Kia was pointing towards the heavens coming home.

It looks as though we're headed to Green Bay this morning for several needed household items. No doubt, I'll find something to purchase that I had no idea I even needed. It seems to happen every time.

Time to get this show on the road. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Ivy's completed toy box and book shelf