Thursday morning, time for some action on Pentoga Road.
Sealing the drive began by placing the pails of gook out into the sun to warm.

August 31, 2018 - Friday morning

55 degrees/thunderstorms/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Talk about some action pictures, today's entry is full of them. Better strap on your helmet and fasten your seatbelt.

This old body is feeling the effect of carting a dozen pails around the drive yesterday. Let's just put it this way, if I could find a foot and back donor, I'd be all in for a double transplant.

The process consisted of: carry, pour, push, pull, spread evenly, then repeat the process over and over and over.

I began by wishing the temperature would rise. By day's end, I was grateful that it only topped out in the lower 70's with a pleasant breeze.

It was later in the day before the sealer covered the entire drive. I took particular care to make sure all the small cracks were filled and over all, was quite happy at the outcome.

Thankfully, the new covering was dry by sundown last night and had overnight to cure. It's raining this morning, something not recommended after sealing a drive, but I think it will be just fine. If not, there's always next year to try it again.

Sargie opens this morning. I planned on working in the yard and garden today in preparation for Sunday's Labor Day gathering. It now appears I'll have a much more mellow time playing in the shop.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Look who's officially starting school this year.
It's Hambone.

August 30, 2018 - Thursday

38 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Whew. It appears we dodged the frost bullet last night. I'm happy as can be and still hoping to harvest more melons from the garden. Looking at the long term forecast, we should have at least another week, maybe more of growing season.

Yep, Hambone's officially in school, a real bonafide student. Preschool/Early Childhood is a newer concept since my public school teaching days. Many states have implemented it as part of their regular educational curriculum, a precursor to kindergarten. 

I have mixed feelings about a four-year-old attending school, but with both parents working in most families, it seems to be a viable educational option. Really, Grady's ready to go. Like most four year olds, he soaks up knowledge faster than we can throw it out there. Little Hambone's now officially a student.

I couldn't have fit many more chores into one day as were done on Wednesday. After arriving home from Iron Mountain, I bit the bullet and decided to clean the gas grill.

The thing was sprayed all over with cleaner, the grates removed, the innards scraped, wiped, swiped, hot soapy water used, sprayed some more, and after two hours, I pronounced the job finished.

The spray was really nothing more than an oven cleaner and brought back a lot of memories.

Mom used to tackle our oven once or twice a year before the days of the self cleaning models. She lay newspapers all over the floor, don heavy plastic gloves, ventilate the kitchen as well as possible, and begin spraying.

Dad wasn't spared from helping with the unsavory job. He'd wipe the worst and hand the grates to Mom who'd stand at the kitchen sink and wash each in hot, soapy, water. 

My sister and I were banished to the outside or at least to a room on the other side of the house. What I remember most is the smell, those gawd-awful fumes, but in the end, Mom would once again have a clean oven.

Yesterday's toxic smells were every bit as bad, possibly worse. They also brought another childhood memory, that of Mom giving my sister a permanent. 

I remember Barbara perched on an elevated chair or stool, her hair in tight bobby pins, and Mom dabbing her head with chemicals. The poor girl sat, tensed, her eyes tightly closed, sometimes crying, as Mom reassured her that it didn't burn that bad. 

As a little boy, officially in hiding, but peering from around the corner, I felt sorry that my sister had to endure such torture. Mostly, though, I remember the fumes, the stench, the eye-watering smells.

In retrospect, it's no wonder my sister has pure white hair today, no doubt, caused by being doused with chemicals almost sixty-five years ago. 

Meanwhile, on Pentoga Road:

For the third day in a row, I drove to town on Wednesday. This time, it was for the expressed purpose of visiting a dog at the animal shelter who had earlier attracted my attention.

She's a female, just a few months old, who is a little thing, less than twenty pounds. The shelter says she's mostly a boxer with Heinz 57 thrown in. What she really is is sweet and seemingly very smart. She loves children and has a personality that wants to please. 

Could this be the one? I initially claimed her and if all goes as planned, we'll bring her home next week. I think there's room in our hearts for another four-legged family member.

Yes, I know, she resembles Brutus and no, that's not the reason I like her. She just happens to be white with black polka dots.

Back home, I removed a few of the front step pavers and leveled the sand underneath.

With the recent heavy rains, water had poured from the eaves and washed part of the sand away causing the pavers to become uneven.



I'm going to have to come up with a new base next summer. This is the second or third time I've had to rob Grady's sandbox to supply the filler.

I also installed some new trim pavers across the front of the lower stoop.



Hopefully, these will help keep the sand and gravel from washing out from under the front steps.

Next came scraping and painting the garage service door and trim, also the trim around the overhead garage door.

Even in it's heyday, long before I bought our home, the service door was a used castoff from another project. It's not in very good condition, but should suffice until it is replaced next summer.

Always a project. They never end.

I tried scraping the old paint, but that would take hours. Why not use the high pressure washer?



In the end, both the trim around the overhead door and the service entrance and surrounding trim sported a new coat of white paint. 

Golly, Tom, what else could be crammed into one day? Why not prepare the drive to be sealed?

Out came the leaf blower to remove the worst of the debris, followed by the high pressure washer.



Another two hours went by and the shadows were long before the hose and washer were put away.



The drive is ready. The only thing needed is the warm sun forecast for later today.

Sargie was home mid evening and we enjoyed a nice evening watching America's Got Talent on DVR. She's off today, works tomorrow, then will be off for the Labor Day weekend.

I'm going to get this uploaded then begin to drag the five gallon pails of sealer from the barn so they can warm up in the sun. I wish it were thirty degrees warmer, but beggars can't be choosers.

It's time to rock and roll.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

My token bunch of grapes, literally ONE bunch, are almost ready.

Once the rain stopped, the damage from Monday night's storm became evident. Above is a fifteen foot multi headed sunflower lying on its side.

August 29, 2018 - Wednesday

51 degrees/cloudy skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

It appears a cold front came screaming through last night putting an end to the humidity of the past several days. I just heard tonight's low is to supposed to dip into the upper 30's. 

One or two more frost free weeks could see some ripe cantaloupe coming out of the garden. Will it happen? Only Mother Nature knows for sure.

I don't know why the storms and accompanying winds couldn't have waited just one more week. We use the Labor Day family gathering as an excuse to groom the flowers and yard to the best of our abilities all summer long and wouldn't you know, with less than a week to go, many have been destroyed.

Oh well, that's the risk all gardeners take. It just goes to show how little control we really have in life.

Aunt Joanne called last evening saying she made it back to Georgia in good shape. I'm willing to bet she slept very well back in her own bed.

Tuesday was a mellow one. I sprayed the exterior of the house first thing for cluster flies. They're beginning to swarm and the commercial concoction is usually quite effective. I may have to spray one more time next month.

It rained off and on during the afternoon. I made a quick dash to town to purchase brats and a large pork loin for Sunday's celebration.

Hamburger, pork loin, and brats

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing... NOTHING. The temperature dropped throughout the day and with light rain falling, I lay back in the recliner covered with a blanket and pretended to watch television through mostly closed eyes. 

It was a wonderfully lazy afternoon. I think I'm beginning to get the gist of this thing called retirement, at least on cold, rainy, days.

I drove over to Iron Mountain last evening so I could ride home with Sargie. While she was at the beautician's, I spent time with Holly and Ross and enjoyed talking with each. 

Holly just happened to have one last piece of recently baked zucchini cake. She offered the goodie and I readily accepted the brick-sized piece. Holly is one of the best chefs/cooks I know and as I told her, she didn't have to offer twice.

Man, that woman can perform kitchen magic! It's no wonder Ross goes around with a smile on his face all the time.

Sargie and I arrived home around 10 PM making our night very short. I'll ride back with her this morning to retrieve the Blazer before coming back to Pentoga Road. Thankfully, Sargie's off tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I think I'll wait until then to seal the drive. The sealer is much more fluid on warmer, sunny, days. 

Oops, time to get breakfast ready and Sargie's lunch packed. No rest this morning!

It appears there'll be plenty of pumpkins for the good little girls and boys this year.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Anybody want a puppy? I played with all these babies while at the animal shelter on Tuesday afternoon. I stop in at least once, usually twice, a week to see if any canine wants to adopt me. All of these cuties did, but none came home with me.

Aunt Joanne's gone back to Georgia and Sargie's returned to work. 

August 28, 2018 - Tuesday

61 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

And just like that, the house is once again quiet save for the noise made from my rattling around. Joanne left around 7:30 Monday morning and arrived in Effingham, Illinois, last evening. Our pint-sized buddy intends to drive straight through to her home in Woodstock, Georgia, today.

I did nothing particularly newsworthy on Monday. Laundry was washed and hung out on the line and I made a quick dash to town for an errand or two. 

Honestly, it was so humid that the act of breathing caused me to sweat. It was obvious storms were on their way, hopefully to bring some sweet relief.

I made reservations to fly out East and visit the boys, their brides, and of course, the grandbabies in October. 

You'd think with all the flying I've done in my life that I'd be able to figure out the airlines. One ticket was found at about half the price of the others. One day, either way, and the fare was exactly double. I was happy to take advantage of the 50% discount.

Much of Monday was spent disassembling two of the old pyramid planters that had rotted.

The original concept was good, but they are horribly hard to keep watered and in the end the treated dogeared fencing grew rotten around the bottoms.



The wood was taken to the burn pile and the screws will be used for another project.

Sargie arrived home early last evening with the expected storms following close after. Another inch of welcomed rain fell, but unfortunately, it was accompanied by a hefty wind.

As a result, many of my tall flowers were blown over.



I am so disappointed. I'd pictured how I wanted them to look on Labor Day weekend, tall and stately. Instead, most the blooms will be at knee level.



This sunflower head has bent just low enough that I hit my head on it while not paying attention and walking down the aisles of the garden. Grrr. The names it's been called would cause Mama to wash my mouth out with soap.

Sargie closes the Vision Center tonight and has a hair appointment after. It'll be past ten before my bride walks through the door.

It's too wet to do anything in the garden or yard today, so I think I'll retire to the shop. There are several ongoing projects and I need to begin planning on how best to install the outdoor wood furnace next month. 



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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Not even the electric deer fence could keep Aunt Joanne from raiding the garden Sunday morning

August 27, 2018 - Monday morning

62 degrees/thunderstorm/rain

Pentoga Road

It's an interesting early morning on Pentoga Road. I was awake at 4 AM to fix coffee and prepare to get the girls up and away in a highly coordinated effort. Joanne was first at 5 AM and Sargie will come next at 6. Meanwhile, thunder and lightening are putting on a show all around us and the rain is coming down.

Sunday was pretty much a non event. I finished edging the drive and if/when it ever stops raining, it'll be ready to seal after a quick power wash. I'm hoping that will occur on Wednesday.

Sargie made oatmeal casserole for breakfast. With peanuts, raisins, maple syrup, apples, and peanut butter included, it was wonderful.

We took our usual drive around the area and saw our friend, Leesa, who recently became a first-time grandma.

Talk about proud! Leesa beams while talking about her granddaughter and is happy to share any and all pictures.

We paused during our drive to watch a man paint the trim high atop one of our local church buildings.

Services were halted several years ago and the old building has passed through several private hands since. It appears someone has purchased the building and is now going through a series of restorations.

I hope so. There's something horribly wrong for a once active church to sit vacant and in disrepair. 

Back home, the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent being lazy. I picked a bag of tomatoes to send back with Joanne.

The three of us visited, watched a movie, and later, Joanne began gathering her things and packing.

It's going to seem rather quiet around here in just a couple of hours. I'm going to head to town this morning and run a few errands. No doubt, I'll stop at the animal shelter and play with the pups. Doing so seems to temporarily satisfy my need to adopt a canine companion. Depending on the weather, the rest of the day will be played by ear.

One thing's certain. If it keeps raining, there'll be an afternoon grandpa nap in my future.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Bond Falls - Paulding, Michigan

August 26, 2018 - Sunday morning

60 degrees/cloudy skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Joanne is sitting across the room absorbed in her computer. Sargie is still slumbering as it's her last day of vacation, and I just finished a Facetime visit with Matt and the munchkins. Sure is quiet, but then it's going to get that way even more.

Sargie heads back to work Monday morning and Joanne will point her car towards the Atlanta area. Our week of vacation, fun, laziness, and visiting is drawing to a close. 

Hard to believe that I'll be alone in the solitary silence of Pentoga Road tomorrow at this time. 

Saturday was a lazy affair. I made the rounds of the garden and picked anything I thought could be stuffed into an omelet. Thankfully, the kitchen sink was securely fastened to the counter.

Broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers, all made the vegetable ingredients.

Of course, no omelet would be complete without the main food group, bacon. That, along with cheese and mushrooms, made for some delicious dining.

Joanne, Sargie, and I, jumped in the car Saturday afternoon and drove an hour west to Bond Falls.

Niagara Falls it's not, but for the relatively flat upper Midwest, it's fairly impressive.

We'd have probably stayed longer, but the gnats seemed to have drawn bullseyes on each of us.

Once home, Sargie got busy making a large vegetable salad in the kitchen while I fired up the grill to prepare brats for supper.

Sargie also prepared thin slices of Neighbor Mike's summer squash marinated in Italian dressing and olive oil, all enclosed in tin foil and set on the grill.

We ate well last night. My favorite part of the meal? Why, it was the huge bowl of ice cream accompanied by Aunt Joanne's chocolate chip cookies!

Joanne's getting ready to load her plate

I was going to seal the drive today, but I see heavy rain is forecast for later and up to two inches for tomorrow afternoon and evening. Right now, it appears Wednesday will present the earliest opportunity to work on the blacktop.

Meanwhile, I think I'll take the opportunity to visit with Joanne, sip some coffee, and enjoy the simple pleasures of friendship.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...