It's about time to make pickles!

July 15, 2018 - Sunday morning

65 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Arg, it's way too warm for this early in the morning. A high of 89 is forecast for today along with humidity to match. Thankfully, a front is to come marching through this evening and cool the temperatures off for the next week.

After a week at Scout Camp, Yooper Brother Mark returned home on Friday afternoon. Seems he and Isabella decided to camp out in their yard Saturday night.

Mark made the mention this morning that he had no idea how loud his small neighborhood was during the nighttime hours. Seems the coyotes were making their presence known.

Uncle Jerad and Auntie Jenna took Isabella to the UP Rodeo on Friday night. She went as a three-year-old child and arrived home a full fledged cowgirl!

Luke sent this picture from the studios of WOWL - Channel 16, in Madawaska, Maine. I taught mass communications for years at the high school and actually developed the classes into a fully functioning station complete with daily news and broadcast live events.

As Luke said, not much has changed. Those lights in the background on the floor were old ones taken from the boys' locker room and mounted upside down to give backlighting. Having a small budget, we scrounged any and everything we could find in the name of public broadcasting.

Back on Pentoga Road...

I picked cucumbers yesterday, but there were too few to make a full batch of pickles. I'll put these in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and hopefully, there'll be enough in another day or two to begin slicing, preserving, and canning.

Bread and butter pickles are our favorites and we're on our next to last jar. Appears as though the timing is almost perfect.

Saturday began in Iron Mountain doing one of my least favorite jobs, cashing in nine months worth of cans and bottles.

I felt like a cheap wino as I had two large bags full and assumed everyone was talking about me.

That was, until others came in with more bags than my measly two. In the end, I cashed out thirty dollars worth of mostly carbonated water bottles. The money will be placed in our travel fund for next year's vacation.

It was hot and humid. I didn't want to do anything, but knowing the trails and meadows needed mowing, I hopped aboard the rider and took off for the interior of the property.

Lord, it was buggy and sticky, but after three hours, everything but the yard had been sheared.

I was tickled to see the first of the blueberries are ripening. In fact, I picked one last night and as is tradition, gave it to Sargie. She said it was very good.

It appears we'll have a decent crop this year, not as good as last, but good enough. Unlike Mississippi Brother Garry, who picks those southern blueberries by the fistful, we have to work for ours. 

I've been delighted to observe quite a few monarch butterflies this year, something I haven't seen for quite sometime. 

I've read that their numbers have been greatly diminished due to lack of habitat, but for whatever reason, quite a few seem to be calling Pentoga Road home this year. I hope they continue to do so.

Sargie was home from work early, so we hooked the trailer onto the Blazer and took off for the lake.

Yep, you guessed it.

Actually, fishing was quite slow. It's been so hot and there wasn't a breath of air. Still, that didn't stop the Crappie Queen from catching a couple of nice-sized bass along with a large bluegill.

I know I upload a lot of fish pictures, but Yooper Brother Mark's daughter, Sarah, has mentioned she really enjoys seeing them. Anything for my former student and adopted niece.

Me? I'm working up my nerve to ask if Sargie might give me fishing lessons. She can be the wise, Master Po, and I'll play Grasshopper. (Kung Fu - 1972)

Sargie's off today. She said she wanted to ride the mower and I'm happy to make her wish come true. I'll go ahead with the push mower and trim. Together, it won't take too long to finish the yard around the house.

No doubt, we'll go for our ride and perhaps later, Master Po will take me fishing where I'll try to snatch the angling stone from her hand.

A whale? A walrus? Perhaps a manmaid?
For the love of God, run and save yourselves!

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Golly, now there's a body only a mother and Sargie could love.
You still love me, right, Mom?
Mom?
Hey, Mom!
MOM!!!