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...