Work continued Monday on the garden pond

May 9, 2017 - Tuesday

31 degrees/cloudy skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I'm not sure how to begin this morning. No matter what I write, it seems trite and uninteresting. 

I had a good friend years ago who was an accomplished writer. At the time, I was writing a newspaper column and there came a day when I struggled to put any meaningful or entertaining words on paper. My mind was an empty slate. He told me to just start writing, anything, that the physical act of typing (before computers were invented) would jolt my brain into action. That's what I'm doing now. So far, what few literary skills I possess are still sleeping.

Monday was a busy one, too busy. Home from my morning walk, I began digging and bedding the sod, rescued from the garden pond project, into the area around the flagpole.

I thought it would take half an hour, maybe an hour, at most. Little did I take into account the hard soil, rocks, and old hidden tree roots. It was almost noon before the sod was planted, watered, and more grass seed sown.

After a quick lunch, attentions were moved to the garden pond.

I was fooled once again into believing that backfilling and tamping around the sides would take little time. Over three hours were spent working around the preformed pond, making certain it was level and the shelves and sides were supported.

I think I've looked at every Youtube video and random picture of garden ponds on the internet. Just like my writing, I'm having a difficult time getting the creative juices flowing. I know people use rocks, plants, and greenery to hide the liner and working parts, but so far, I'm drawing a blank.

The waterfalls was placed into the dirt late in the afternoon. Again, the liner is to be hidden with rocks, mostly flat ones, but God didn't make many flat rocks on our land. They all seem to resemble potatoes and dinosaur eggs rather than pancakes.

While using the front end loader and Ford tractor to move the backhoe from the garden area, I decided to stack the chunks of spruce tree, the one that had fallen onto the garage, onto the burn pile.

One thing about it, we're going to have one heck of a bonfire when the day comes to torch the pile. 

I knew Neighbor Mike was at his cabin for a couple of days so I went for a visit to see what was new in his life. He was getting ready to water his newly planted high bush cranberries. I offered to cart the two, ten gallon, pails of water on the four wheeler for him.

Back home, I heard Brutus making a commotion in the back yard. Seems he'd caught a squirrel and was playing with it.

It was a red letter day for my bulldog. Seems he caught the squirrel all by himself. Brutus is a lovable and great companion, but definitely not known for his stealth, cunning, and quickness. Put it this way, no one will ever confuse him for a sneaky mouse-catching kitty cat.

Sargie walked in the door later following a long day in the Vision Center and a meeting after. We had chicken salad for supper and enjoyed a quiet evening.

I made my reservation to fly down to Indiana on June 7th. My sister, Barb, will pick me up in Indianapolis and take me to Mom's in Terre Haute. Depending on how tired I am, we'll make our way back to Pentoga Road a day or two after. Mom's car will stay here and she'll ride home with my sister or nieces after her birthday party. At age (almost) 90, she says she's done driving.

Sargie's younger brother, Steve, called yesterday. A logger, he'll begin cutting on our land in the next few weeks. We have so much spruce budworm damage that the majority of our softwoods are dying. This spring's winds have toppled quite a few and those left standing have become tinder for a forest fire just waiting to happen. I've been advised by several knowledgable people to harvest while they still have some value.

I'm not looking forward to the shock factor once the harvesting is complete, but I've lived in the North Country almost my entire life and know that within three to five years, the woods will be green and more importantly, healthy. This upcoming logging operation is my gift to the future owners of this property.

Sargie closes the Vision Center tonight. I think I'll erect several more Walls of Water today and plant the first giant pumpkin plant into the ground. It's time to do it if I'm going to have any chance of growing one over 600 pounds this season.

The lawn could use mowing and there are several raised beds needing repair. The pyramid planters are also in need of repair and leveling after being heaved by the frost this spring.

Time to get busy.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Swollen buds on the blueberry plants