July 19, 2018 - Thursday

57 degrees/sunny/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Mississippi Brother Garry sent the above picture taken yesterday while mowing a nearby field. One or two egrets began following him, snaring bugs and even a good-size frog. Before he knew it, there were as many as twenty.

We'll start calling Garry the Bird Man of Southern Mississippi.

Boy, today's entry is a yawner. After Wednesday's walk, I spent the ENTIRE day wiring the boat trailer.

I was shocked how many tools were required to hook up a couple of inexpensive tail lights to a sixty year old trailer. 

I think I made eight or ten trips into the shop last night putting everything away.

Threading the wire through the old steel conduit wasn't so bad, it was removing the old wiring that took time and patience. The covering to the wires had rusted to the inside of the pipe and refused to let go. By day's end, I was more than a bit miffed.

I've been asked why I mount the rear lights high atop two pipes that rise from the back of the trailer.

There are two reasons. The first being the simple reason that submersible trailer lights are expensive and after a period of time, they often leak and short out. The pipes keep them well above water, plus they are easy to see after dark when going down the road.

The second reason is one that anybody who has ever loaded a boat onto a trailer by himself will know. The pipes serve as guides to get the boat floating straight ahead while loading. I can throw a long lead rope over one pipe, go stand in front of the trailer on dry land, and pull. The boat will guide itself between the pipes. I can then pull the boat into place and bring the trailer out of the water without getting my feet wet. 

I finished the trailer last evening just before Sargie pulled in the drive. 

The Blazer is sick. It began last February when the beast refused to start one morning. It finally did and has run well until about two weeks ago. Little by little it has become more difficult to start and finally, the day before yesterday, only fired after a great amount of effort.

I called and talked to my good buddy, Scott, in the Atlanta area. Scott's a professional mechanic and said it sounds as though my fuel pump has pumped its last drop of gas. 

I'm going to try to coax the old SUV to life one more time to get it into the mechanic's to be fixed. If that doesn't happen, a wrecker will have to be employed. 

Gulp. All I can see are $$$$$ signs.

The Blazer, a '97 model, has almost 130,000 miles on the odometer along with some dings and dents and I guess anyone who is halfway sane would think about buying a new(er) vehicle. Sargie and I have talked and we both agree that it's much cheaper to keep the Blazer in good running and dependable condition than to make monthly car payments. At our age, we never want to see another one of those again. Mom's Equinox is far too nice to use as an all-round vehicle, plus it doesn't have four-wheel drive, something that is a necessity if one lives in rural UP during the winter months.

Sargie closes the Vision Center tonight. I think this will be pickle day on Pentoga Road. I need to go to town and purchase a couple of gallons of white vinegar, but otherwise, I think I'm good to go. 

Oh, I almost forgot. Yooper Brother Mark's friend, Gary, is making a cross country bicycle ride along with his sister from Oregon to New York. He's writing a blog complete with many pictures. 

https://twowheelstohome.com/

Gary's an interesting writer and a good photographer and I'm enjoying reading his daily entries. 

It's time to wrap this up and get to the garden. After that, there're pickles to make, a car to deal with, and who knows what'll pop up during the day.

If only you had my life, you'd understand.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Get ready, Grandma Sargie and Pawpaw. I've heard rumors that Hambone is coming to stay with us for a couple of days next week. At least for one of those days, Grady's buddy, Isabella, will be here too!