Sargie's getting ready to help move the Tundra out of the storage container.

 September 30, 2018 - Sunday morning
37 degrees/clouds/calm winds
Pentoga Road

It's another cloudy, damp, day in the neighborhood. Unlike last year, when we had our summertime temperatures in September and October, I'm fearful that we could be headed straight into winter. Certainly there's no global warming in our extended forecast.

After a quick jaunt to Pentoga Village and back Saturday morning, Sargie and I spent the remainder of the day hauling out the winter equipment from the storage unit and packing away the patio furniture, most the machinery, and other warm weather goodies.

Even with the two of us working side-by-side, it took several hours, though we did manage to laugh and have a bit of fun along the way.

Sargie was hesitant to say goodbye to her wooden porch swing. Growing impatient, I simply lifted it, along with Sargie, and proceeded to the storage unit.


Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it wasn't a completely miserable experience.

Or was it?

Looks like Ma and Pa Kettle live here
Actually, utilizing the bucket on the tractor saved us many trips back and forth to the storage container.

 It was later in the afternoon before we could call the job finished. To celebrate, we took our usual drive and enjoyed looking at the rapidly changing trees in town.

We're still not at peak color yet, but it's growing closer as the days become shorter and colder.

Back home, I noticed how prolific the strawberry plants had become this summer. It's hard to believe that they started as twenty-five tiny, brown, roots, that had been in cold storage for over two months this past spring. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a big berry harvest next summer.

In the not-so-good news department, several of the giant sunflowers were blown over during the last wind and rain storm. Unfortunately, the mega plants destroyed several of the raised beds.

It appears I'll be doing some major repair next spring.

Sargie's off today. I'm going to get this uploaded then strap on my hikers and get the blood pumping as I hike to Pentoga Village and back. Other than watching the Packers play at noon today, I have no plans. On the other hand, I imagine my bride has one or two irons in the fire that might occupy my time.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

September 29, 2018 - Saturday morning
29 degrees/high overcast/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I just walked back in the house after getting a piece of wood to feed the stove. The wood smoke outside is hanging in the air and that, combined with the aroma of the season, falling leaves and so on, brought back some wonderful memories. 

The sons were young and during the fall months, we called the old hunting camp in northern Maine our weekend home, especially during partridge season. All that's needed this morning is the aroma of bacon, eggs, and sliced potatoes, to make the memory complete. 

Fall has arrived with a vengeance. All the wildlife is on the move and the trees are trading their green for red, orange, and yellow hues.

Friday began as most days do, with the usual stroll. The wind was stiff and the temperatures chilly. The heavy rain that accompanied the occasional squall didn't make walking any more pleasant.

Once home, I enjoyed wrapping my fingers around a large mug of hot coffee. The news was read and after warming from the inside out, I headed towards the garden. With freezing temperatures forecast, it was time for the annual fall harvest.

Winter Banana Squash
The largest weighs well over fifty pounds

It was a good pumpkin/squash year. Taking a hiatus from growing a giant pumpkin, I concentrated raising those that might make good Jack-o-lanterns. It appears my efforts paid off.

The rest of the day was spent picking and sorting, putting each pumpkin or squash in a particular pile.

Sargie was especially taken with the few white pumpkins that were grown last year. This season, I planted an entire bed of Luma's just for her.

All the good little Milligan girls and boys will have their choice this year of either a white or orange pumpkin.

The winter squash, both round and oblong, will either be given away, stored in the basement, or dumped into Neighbor Mike's field for the deer to browse on.



Trip after trip was made either to the house or the barn for temporary storage.

It was late in the afternoon before a squall with heavy rain and wind ran me inside. Cold, tired, and pumpkin'd out, I decided to call it day.

Yooper Brother Mark stopped by for a visit. We had a good time catching up on the news in each other's lives and I later sent a bag of spaghetti squash home with the boy.



Sargie was home early last night and has the next couple of days off. Since today's forecast is the only decent one of the two, ( the possibility of wet snow was mentioned during last night's weather) we're going to try to get the front porch and patio furniture stowed away for the winter. That chore ranks right up there with taking down Christmas decorations and root canals for fun and games.

I signed up for a two more days of substitute teaching next week, both in the elementary school. I'm committed for three, total. That's enough. The extended forecast is for lousy weather and all are on the same days as Sargie works, so why not?

It's time to close and strap on my hiking boots. I hear the apples are particularly tasty in Pentoga Village this time of the year.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

September 28, 2019 - Friday
42 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

It appears summer will really be over by this time tomorrow. 



Actually, our local forecast is calling for a low of 28 degrees, possibly colder. Yep, darn straight, summer's over.

The only news I know is that I had a wonderful time at Florence Elementary yesterday. All fears of being too crusty and old were quickly set aside as I taught PE classes ranging in age from kindergarten to sixth grade. 

Back in the old days, I'd have taken picture after picture of the munchkins, but with today's security fears, that's a thing of the past. 

We did warm up's, played line tag, flag tag, Simon Says, and if, only if, the class was really good, did they get an Alaska story at the end. All were good and in the end, each heard a two-minute true tale of bears, moose, big mountains, and lots and lots of snow. That even earned me a standing ovation at the end of one class. 

It's not easy being a first-grade icon.

As of now, I'm not scheduled to return until next Tuesday. I'm looking forward to once again being in the school environment. 

Sargie had left me off at the school on her way to Macrea's and true to her word, was there to pick me up when I finished. The timing was perfect. I collapsed last night complete with a raw throat, but happy that I'd had such a good experience. 

Sargie is back to work today. I'll go for my walk then begin the annual chore of hauling in the pumpkins and winter squash so they don't freeze tonight. By day's end, our front porch will look like The Great Pumpkin has been here. We have a bunch of them this year.

The coffee's done and it's time to wake up Sargie and get this day started. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I even managed to sneak in a quick three mile walk Thursday morning before it was time to leave for the school.

I almost was caught in this upcoming squall that dropped .4 of an inch of rain in about three minutes.

September 27, 2018 - Thursday

43 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I was walking Wednesday afternoon and had begun climbing the large hill out of Pentoga Village when the wind began to howl and black clouds appeared on the horizon. Minutes earlier, the sun had been shining.

What the heck?

I quickened my pace and had just completed my three-mile jaunt when the skies opened and the rain fell. A person just gets lucky somedays. Yesterday was mine.

I'm sitting here in these early predawn hours thinking about the upcoming day. For the first time in several years, I'm going step back into the classroom today. Well, actually, it's a gym. I'm subbing for the elementary PE teacher at Florence Elementary School. 

Sargie asked if I was nervous. Absolutely not.

Hmm, there's a bit of an age difference to go from lecturing university graduate students to managing a herd of wriggling, wiggling, overly enthusiastic, elementary babies.

After forty-plus years of teaching students of all ages, I have no qualms about handling a class of munchkins on their quests to become more physically fit. 

It's me I worry about. Is there a chance that I'm too old and too crusty? 

Oh well, I only teach for three hours this afternoon, a good break-in period. Today will tell.

Florence Elementary

I stopped by Florence High School on my way back from Iron Mountain Wednesday morning and with the help of my BFF, Amanda, an absolute sweetheart, who works in the business office, I learned how to register for the substitute web page. I can now pick and choose the upcoming assignments as they are posted.

For example, later in October, I've committed to spending a day as the elementary librarian/computer person. Another will be spent more in my line of interest, filling in for the high school English teacher. The music teacher will be gone two days in October, but I've already made other plans. Darn it. The one assignment I most want and I have to turn it down. Oh well, I'm sure the music teacher will be gone sometime later in the year.

My walk to Pentoga Village was a hurried affair, not because of the impending rain, but rather, due to the fact I was cold. The wind was blowing and I dressed for warmer weather. I could have made the journey even faster, but as usual, I stopped to pluck the occasional apple from one tree or the other. A varied diet? No problem, I also ate a plum or two along the way.

Look at the size of this apple
Tart, crisp, and juicy. A perfect fruit.

The rest of the day was spent high and dry in the shop where I finished cutting out a Halloween piece. It's nothing special and as soon as I complete and mount the backing, I'll snap a picture to upload.

Sargie had to close and wouldn't be home until late. What to have for supper... hmmm. There was one steak in the freezer. 

Uh huh, that with a baked tater and sliced tomatoes made a great meal.

Sargie's off today and heading to Macrea and Grady's for some quality mama/grandma time. She'll drop me off at the school at 11:30 and pick me up at 3:30. It all should work out well.

It's time to put on some hiking clothes and head out the door before running through the shower and getting ready to teach.

I probably should stay home and save my energy for the munchkins, but it's for only half a day. I can do this.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Mississippi Brother Garry says if I'd quit eating all the apples while on my walk, I might actually lose some weight. 
I say, who cares? Ripe apples only fall from the tree once a year, plus, I've never heard of anyone dying from obesity due to eating too many apples. 

September 26, 2018 - Wednesday
43 degrees/partly cloudy/breezy
Pentoga Road

Today would have been Dad's 90th birthday. It's hard to imagine Dad as a ninety year-old as in my mind, he never aged throughout his lifetime. He always looked like... well, Dad. If he were still with us, we'd have a big ol' party, the boys and families would be here, all the Milligans, and our friends. 

Strange, I had a difficult time remembering Dad's birthday all the years he was alive, yet now, sixteen years later, I haven't forgotten once. Golly I miss him.

There's so much that Dad could have taught his little guy of sixty-six years and I would have been a willing student. 

Happy 90th, Dad. I love you. 

Tuesday was a pick 'em up and throw 'em down type of day. I rode with Sargie and walked four and a half miles back home. The foot is doing well and my body is responding in kind. The kinks are getting worked out and the stiffness in the foot is loosening. It appears I'll soon be hitting on all cylinders.

I hopped on the backhoe and later, the tractor, and finished loading, hauling, and spreading, the two large piles of fill. 



All that remains is smoothing over the area where the burn pile once was and sowing grass seed.

Jambo appeared out of nowhere. I didn't even realize he was down from Marquette, but I heard a whistle, looked up, and there he was. 

He smiled and the first words out of his mouth were, "Hey, wanna go fishing?"

I pretended to ponder the very deep question before immediately answering, "Let go!"

Neighbor Mike put on a clinic Tuesday morning. While I caught mere eating sized crappies, he scored with several that were much nicer. I later learned that he was using a new super-dooper secret lure found in his local bait store. 

Cheater.



Wind, rain, and cold temperatures eventually ran us in off the lake, but not before we put a nice mess in the fish basket. Since Jambo gave me the day's catch, I quickly forgave him for his new top secret lure indiscretions. 

Much of the rest of the day was spent drying out and soaking up the heat from the wood stove. The day had turned from warm and humid to cold and windy. I stuck my nose in a Kindle book and might have dozed somewhere along the way.

I traveled to Iron Mountain late in the afternoon to meet my bride after work. While Sargie had an appointment immediately after, I visited with Ross and Holly. I always enjoy our visits and getting caught up on the news in their world.

It was a quiet evening on Pentoga Road spent watching Dancing With the Stars while enjoying a hot, steaming, bowl of soup. 

OMG! (as the kids say.) The automated substitute teaching system is finally working. I signed up to teach half a day of elementary PE on Thursday. More about that in tomorrow's entry.

Sargie closes the Vision Center today. I'll be riding back with her to retrieve the Blazer and run an errand or two while in town. Once home, I'm planning on walking to Pentoga Village then spend what's left of the day in the shop. 

It's a busy and complicated life we weave here in the Upper Peninsula.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

A large pink banana winter squash

September 25, 2018 - Tuesday morning

60 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Ah, if only pink banana squash were made of gold, Sargie and I would be millionaires several times over. Seems the delicious winter squash found our climate much to its liking and flourished. We should have plenty to eat and share this coming winter.

Monday began with a walk to Pentoga Village. I met one of our seasonal neighbors for the first time along the way. They live in southern Wisconsin and though I've talked with her husband previously, I'd never met Sue. Living over a mile down the road, almost next door in Pentoga Road terms, they both seem like nice people.

There's a wild apple tree between here and Pentoga Village that bears smallish fruit, but is absolutely delicious. 

What makes this apple so unique is that much of the red coloring carries through to the inside. Its core is tiny making it for a perfect snack while putting the miles under my feet.

One of the many reasons why I love our area is the abundance of wild fruit trees. It's difficult to drive down any road or street and not see a tree that's loaded with bushels of apples. Many are of commercial quality and blemish (and worm) free. This year's garden, along with the berries and fruits, both wild and tame, give Pentoga Road a summertime Garden of Eden feel. 

Meanwhile, back to reality, remind me I said that in February when the mercury is dipping way below zero and there are several feet of snow on the ground.

I moved out to the shop where I made a wooden name for a newborn daughter of one of our friends.



Sargie and I took our usual early afternoon drive looking at the leaves and area lakeside camps and cottages. More and more boats are now on trailers than moored to docks. It won't be long before many of the cottages will be vacated in favor of winter destinations far to the south. It happens around this time every year.

Back on Pentoga Road, Sargie took advantage of the near-perfect afternoon to vacuum out both the Kia and Blazer.



Not wanting to interrupt her, I headed to the area around the old burn pile and continued to haul dirt to nearby low lying areas.



I have to utilize the backhoe to fill the trip bucket on the old Ford tractor as it doesn't scoop, only hauls. It takes more time, but in the end, it works.

I place a piece of plywood across the tines of the bucket allowing me to haul a fairly good load. 

Seems to me that Mississippi Brother Garry could offer to loan me his highfalutin Kabota tractor with all the bells and whistles so this job would go much quicker. A thousand miles isn't that far. 

After watering the ferns and taking a tour of the garden, Sargie and I called it a day. She opens the Vision Center this morning. I'm going to ride partway with her and increase my walking distance to four and a half miles. The foot, though sometimes tender, remains pain free. 

The last two blueberries of the year. In an almost ceremonial fashion, Sargie ate one, I had the other. It will be ten months before we do it again.

Assuming the rain holds off, I'm going to try to get the rest of the dirt moved. Otherwise, it's back to the shop to work on upcoming holiday goodies.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

With rain in the forecast, we placed the hanging ferns on the front stoop. A bit later, Sargie watered them "just in case."

Fall colors on the local sumac bushes

September 24, 2018 - Monday

53 degrees/cloudy skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

It's a quiet one this morning, but then in these dark, early morning hours of this fall season, most are without noise. Assuming I make the grade and enter Heaven someday, I wonder if each day will begin by looking at pictures and writing with a cup of hot coffee close at hand?

I sure hope so. I enjoy both.

Sunday began with a three-mile hike to Pentoga Village and back. For the first time in months, my left foot was completely pain free before, during, and after the walk. There's a bit of stiffness in the bottom tendon, the one that ripped, but once everything is stretched and warmed up, it works as it should.

Attempting a through hike of the Appalachian Trail is back on my agenda. Maybe the year of my 70th birthday? Could be!

A few wild plums remain around the perimeter of Pentoga Village. I waded through some waist-high brush to get to the ones pictured below. Not nearly as good as Neighbor Mike's, two or three were tasty enough to snack on while walking back home.

I spent a couple of hours in the shop making a decoration for Halloween. It should be finished in the next day or two. 

An errand needed to be attended to in Iron Mountain, so after watching a bit of the Packers game, we hopped in the car. 

For supposedly having a championship year in Title Town, the team looks sick. We have some talent, but the Packers are going to have to do something different, perhaps a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. It seems every team knows our plays before we do. It could be a long season for the green and gold.

I worked for a bit on the area around the old burn pile late in the afternoon, hauling dirt and filling in low places around the yard. 

We made a quick trip to Iron River just before sunset last night and saw some of the biggest bucks I've seen all year... in the middle of town!

Though the picture is somewhat blurry, you can see the size and racks of these bucks.

It was easy to understand why there was such a gathering of deer, does and bucks alike. Seems they'd found one of their favorite foods on which to feed.

Apples? There ought to be enough to make a pie or two.

Sargie and I had a quiet evening. With a fire crackling in the wood stove, our eyes quickly grew heavy as bedtime approached. It was the end to a wonderful day.

Sargie's off today. I'm going for my walk in the few minutes then head to the shop for an hour or two. Later, I hope to finish the area around the old burn pile, rake it smooth, and possibly plant some grass seed. It'll be nice to call an end to that project. 

With all that being said, it's time to get this uploaded, strap on the hiking boots, and get some fresh blood pumping through these old veins of mine.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...