Aunt Joanne sent this picture of a Camilla bush growing outside her apartment complex not far from Atlanta, Georgia. She was sitting on her patio enjoying 64 degrees and sunshine while we were enduring a rather modest 25 degrees accompanied by a hefty wind.

November 26, 2017 - Sunday

19 degrees/clear skies/windy

Pentoga Road

I feel as though I'm sitting in a Christmas village this morning after Sargie's Herculean efforts at decorating our home the past two days. The girl sure has our little house with the red roof looking like Christmas!

Saturday morning began with a decision to make venison jerky.

Copious amounts of jerky were made when I lived in the arctic. Most was carved from caribou, but moose meat was also used. 

Caribou quarters hanging in the arctic. They are at least double, almost three times the size of deer.

 I used a deli meat slicer Saturday to be sure the meat was cut to the same thickness. The natives used to tease me about using a commercial slicer at my cabin, but once they saw how even all the slices were, the teasing stopped. I used an inverter to change the direct current supplied by the windmill over to alternating current and sliced away.

Slicing meat yesterday wasn't quite so involved. I boned and cut it into workable pieces, plugged in the slicer, and began.

The venison is now marinating in a large bowl. Placing it on drying racks over cookie sheets in the oven will be the next step.



In the arctic, I made a frame large enough to fit over the wood stove with two refrigerator grates attached. It worked quite well. In fact, I wish I had it now. I'd do the same using the wood stove in our living room.

Note the percolator coffee pot and large pot of simmering caribou stew. There was always something cooking atop the
old wood stove. 

We had several errands to attend to in town. As always, Sargie had to check out the Christmas decoration aisle in one of our local stores. 

There's something about stuffed animals that sing and dance  to bring out the child in all of us.

 We noticed that with the rain and wind of a few days ago, many of the area lakes are open once again. 



I'd have cursed the delay of ice fishing a few years ago. Now? I embrace the temporary halt to bitter, frigid, temperatures. There's something about getting older and one's blood becoming thinner that allows him to appreciate more moderate temperatures.

Back on Pentoga Road, Sargie became a decorating machine. 



From our six foot singing/dancing Santa to Aunt Ila's Christmas village being completely assembled, Sargie was today's modern Christmas decorating gal.



I wasn't much help in the decorating department, but I did cart a few thousand totes and boxes back and forth to the storage shed. I also helped the assembly process when needed.



Sargie said it was supper time. A break in the action was taken long enough to feast on the Thanksgiving leftovers.

Why, I ask, WHY do I make such a pig out of myself? I knew darn well that I'd be miserable after filling my plate to the point that sideboards would have been handy to keep the food from falling off. Someday I'll learn.

No I won't. 

Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

It was later in the evening when Sargie pronounced the house officially decorated. There are a few outside lights to hang, little things, but otherwise, we're ready for the holiday season.

Amen and amen.

I think today will be a lazy one. It's the last of Sargie's days off, the decorating is complete, and maybe we'll just take some time to enjoy Sargie and Tom.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

"Have a holly jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year..."
Santa and I are dancing and singing a duet.
Don't even ask, but it made Sargie laugh.