I'm holding a six week old goldendoodle (standard poodle/ golden retriever.)

May 16, 2018 - Wednesday evening
57 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

After a very hot day that saw a high of 86 degrees, a cold front came marching through this evening bringing significantly cooler temperatures. We also received .2 of an inch of badly needed rain. It's not much, but we'll take all we can get.

Today saw a mixed bag of activities. I began by grafting several of my apple trees.



These are from a tree in Pentoga Village that has some of the best eating apples I've had in many years. Hopefully at least one of the grafts will take.

I started carting firewood from a pile Hambone and I worked up last fall.



After being under cover all winter, it will be the first used next fall.



A few years ago, I'd have moved the entire pile in one day. It doesn't work that way anymore. I made ten trips using the wheelbarrow and plan to make that many more each day until the pile is gone.

I turned my attentions to the garden.  Some Yukon Gold seed potatoes were purchased a few days ago and it was time for them to go in the ground.



Actually, ground isn't exactly right. They were planted in cloth pots in a mixture of rich compost and top soil.



The spuds are buried in only two to three inches of soil. Once they sprout, I'll begin adding dirt as they grow to encourage more root growth. More roots equal more potatoes.

I noticed the goldfish were acting strange. They were chasing each other all over the pond, almost beating each other up.

I'm not too bright. It finally dawned on me that they were spawning. My garden pets were making springtime whoopie.

WHOOPIE!!

Just one problem. They were trying to spawn on the disposable cloth that makes up the filter of the waterfalls pump. I change it two or three times a week which means the eggs would be destroyed before they could hatch.

What to do?

Sitting and watching, I came up with an idea. Why not make an artificial spawning area, someplace safe where they could deposit their eggs and remain until they hatch.

Hmmm. Hmmm.

I used bolt cutters to cut a tomato cage to size. After, it was wrapped with the same material that makes up the filters of the pump and tied into place.



It worked. It wasn't long before the goldfish found it and took advantage of their new breeding place.



I bred a ton of tropical fish in my former life, live and egg bearers both, but I've never had goldfish spawn. On the other hand, I've never owned a goldfish in my life until last summer. 

With spring firmly imbedded in the North Woods, the asparagus has begun popping out of the ground, almost overnight.



I picked the first batch late this afternoon, enough to enjoy with tomorrow night's supper.

From the garden to the yard, I planted a few flowers and couple of Sargie's spikes. We'll fill in the empty places over the next few days.

UPS brought a pack of rechargeable batteries that I'd ordered for the solar powered lights. I spent some time changing several.

The yard needed mowing and there was no time like the present. Hopping on that big mower was pure pleasure.

I was just making the last pass when the skies opened and the rain poured down.

It seemed strange with the sun shining brightly.

I had just enough time to run through the shower before driving to Iron Mountain so I could ride home with Sargie this evening. First, there was one stop to make in town.

There's a litter of goldendoodles, a bunch of six week old puppies, looking for good homes. The asking price is well beyond our budget, but there's a chance we might be able to purchase one, probably the smallest male, for considerably less. 

I saw the parents of the pups, both full-sized standard poodles. Should we end up getting a pup, he could grow to weigh between seventy-five and a hundred pounds. That's one big lap dog.

Stay tuned for future puppy news.

Yooper Brother Mark called earlier and said the trailer is full of firewood and ready to be brought home. I'll get it first thing in the morning.

Sargie's off tomorrow and the Lord and weather willing, we're going fishing. The boat and tackle are ready. More importantly, so are Sargie and I!

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I shot this same angle three weeks ago. Other than the red garden gate, there wasn't a bit of color other than white snow and gray sky. What a difference a few weeks make.