Gulp... I have a unicorn for a granddaughter!

October 31, 2018 - Wednesday evening

38 degrees/clear skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

It's Hambone to the rescue!

Ah, witches, goblins, unicorns, super heroes, you name it, I saw them all today while substitute teaching.

Actually, it was a very pleasant, if tiring, day in the education field. Mine began as the PE teacher in the high school.

Things went well at the senior high, home of the Bob Cats. Good kids, really good kids.

While teaching at the elementary school, I refer to my munchkins as "Bob Kitties". They giggle and laugh, but try as they may to correct Mr. P, they are still referred to as Bob Kitties.

I moved to the elementary school at lunch time. The Bob Kitties were excited that it was Halloween and since they'd just returned from parading through the local nursing home, I noticed many were "sugared up."

Still we had a good time and the afternoon flew by.

My friend, Mr. Hall, the elementary principal, was a mad scientist. He never broke from his costume for the entire day.

I like Neal a great deal. A few years younger than I am, but a crusty old veteran like myself, we talk the same language and have the same philosophy when it comes to education.

I was gone from the elementary school like a shot out of a canon once the students had departed. Home and my clothes changed, I hopped on the backhoe and began working in the area of the old burn pile.

It was wet and muddy, but with the temperatures to dip well below freezing, accompanied by a chance of snow next week, time is growing short.

In the end, the area was made as smooth as possible for the conditions. Hopefully, it will stay dry through Saturday when it will be raked smooth and grass seed planted.

Sargie had to close tonight. What to have for supper? In the end, I decided to make a big ol' pot of old fashioned vegetable beef stew.

I dug deep into the freezer and pulled out every frozen vegetable known to modern man, or at least those I'd previously frozen from the garden.

The stew is delicious, perfect on a cold and windy night.

Sargie should be home shortly and thankfully, she has Thursday off. Unlike some people, I'll be back in Florence bright and early in the morning filling in for the PE teacher. Tomorrow will be the second of three days teaching this week. It's one more than I really wanted, but they are desperate for subs.

I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this. 

S'cuse me, I was just practicing a positive mental attitude so I can go into school tomorrow with a smile on my face.

It's time to get the stew reheated and supper ready for my most favorite optician in the world. After? Well, it'll be time to make that long, difficult, climb up the stairs to bed.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The wood furnace is connected and ready to go.

October 30, 2018 - Tuesday

43 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I'm writing tonight since I'll be leaving the house bright and early in the morning. I'll be the PE teacher at Florence High and Elementary schools for the next three days. 

I left for town first thing this morning to purchase the necessary duct work needed to hook up the wood furnace.

The rest of the day was spent muttering, measuring, and cutting.

Seemed a shame to cut a hole in a perfectly good roof

I thought cutting a hole through the wall of the barn would be fairly straight forward. It didn't happen that way.

The first attempt found a cross brace running between the shop wall and the wall that I didn't know existed.

The second hole was cut directly into a stud. I'd mismeasured and couldn't have been more wrong had I tried.

It's said three's a charm. Finally, a hole was cut and the duct was pushed through.

By afternoon's end, I had half the shop outside. There were tools and pieces of duct work all over the place.

Other than cleaning out the trap under the bathroom sink, installing the ductwork was the sum total of day. 

I was drilling a hole a bit earlier, using a very small bit, and managed to ram the bit into the meat of my right index finger right down to the fingernail underneath. Hurt? You bet. The top half of the finger is swollen tonight and I can feel my heart beat in the top joint.

Just call me Grace.

As mentioned earlier, I'll be up and out of here early in the morning. Sargie closes Wednesday night which means we'll meet each other coming and going.

I'll be running the inside duct work along the wall in the next few days

It's time to head to bed. As in the old days, I'll lay out my school clothes tonight to help save a few minutes getting dressed in the morning.

Old habits die hard.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

October 30, 2018 -Tuesday morning
40 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road

What? No pictures this morning? Honestly, I didn't even take the camera out of my pocket yesterday. I simply didn't think about it. 

Oh well, there's not much to tell anyway.

Neither Sargie or I slept all that well Sunday night and I'm not certain why. The room was really nice and clean, it was quiet, and the bed was comfortable. For whatever reason, sleep was intermittent for both of us.

We arrived at our appointment early Monday morning and thankfully, finished early. The car was pointed back north shortly after lunchtime.

It was early evening when I punched the remote to open the garage door. Sargie and I both agreed the trip went quickly. Of course, when one is traveling with his best friend, the time always seems to fly by.

We'd received word from Mechanic Dave that the Blazer was done and could be picked up at any time. We made a flying trip to town and the old SUV, sporting new plugs, two new tires, wires, a rotor cap, and filters, is back home.

It was two tired kids who climbed the stairs to the bedroom last night.

Poor Sargie has to open the Vision Center today. I'm going to town after she leaves to purchase the connections and parts of the ductwork needed for the wood furnace. I have quite a bit already, but a cap for the flue, a collar for the wall, and a couple other pieces are missing. 

I'm dreading cutting a hole in the shop and barn wall through which to thread the duct, but I have no choice. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

I substitute teach in Florence Wednesday through Friday of this week, then again on Monday and Tuesday of next. With new tires and many parts installed on the Blazer, plus the holiday season coming, I'm grateful for the work. Hey, who knows, we may just get those new windows for the living room yet! 

Time to get Sargie's lunch packed and breakfast made ready.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

October 28, 2018 - Sunday evening
46 degrees/drizzle/rain/windy
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Once again I'm writing tonight as tomorrow will start bright and early. I can't complain. We're housed in a beautiful suite and living the good life.

We were sad to say goodbye to our friends, Meag and Ben, this morning.



There are people that occasionally enter our lives who make us feel better for knowing them. 

That would describe Meag and Ben.



Sargie and I have already officially adopted them and though saddened to see them leave, we were happy when they mentioned they'd be back in the spring on their way home to New Hampshire. 

Sending jars of jam, maple syrup, pumpkins and squash, Sargie and I didn't want our young guests to go hungry on their long journey south.

Moose wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving. We'd had a good time with the pup playing fetch and chasing him around the back meadow. I think ol' Moosie would have been puppy happy to have gone back in the house and curled up in front of the wood stove.

No amount of coaxing and baby talk could motivate him to board the bus. Finally, with a tug of the leash and the promise of jerky, the unhappy canine walked up the steps.

It was tough seeing the door close and the big blue bus rumble down Pentoga Road.



Oh well, as I said, they'll be back in a few months. Meanwhile, we'll exchange texts and emails and of course, follow their adventures on their blog, thewilddrive.com.



It was almost noon before Sargie and I left for Milwaukee by way of Green Bay. After a quick stop in Title Town, we arrived in Milwaukee early in the evening.

After checking into the hotel, we set off to find where our Monday morning meeting would be then to do a bit of shopping.

Sargie never found a Big Lots that she didn't like

We'll be up bright and early in the morning. With any luck, the car will be headed north early in the afternoon and we hope to arrive home sometime tomorrow evening. It promises to be a long day, a very long day.

Packer fans abound, even in Milwaukee

My eyelids are growing heavy. With that, it's time to remind everyone that...

A man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Homemade vegetable soup, Acadian ployes, a cozy fire, a puppy dog and good company. Can life get any better?

October 27, 2018 - Saturday night

41 degrees/rain/breezy

Pentoga Road

I figured I'd better write tonight while waiting for Sargie to get ready for bed. She closed the Vision Center earlier this evening and didn't arrive home until a short while ago.

It seemed odd this morning to look out at first light and see a blue bus sitting in our front pasture.

Initially, I was fearful the kids might be cold, but seeing the wood smoke rising from the flue on the bus, I knew Ben had started a fire in the wood stove.

The inclement weather kept us inside most the day. We took advantage of a break in the rain to hike to Pentoga Village and onto the Brule River bridge.



Meag kept busy snapping pictures while Ben, Moose, and I, took in the sights.



Later in the afternoon, with Ben's help and using the old Ford tractor, we moved the wood furnace to its permanent home alongside the barn under the new lean to.



So far so good. All that needs to be done is installing the duct work. Since we'll be gone the next two days and I teach three days next week, it probably won't happen until the week after next.

Ben split a bit of wood to fill the rack for their wood stove.



It's a tiny stove, but more than adequate for heating their bus. He was thrilled that the log ends were exactly the right length for his needs.

Both Meag and Ben appeared at the back door later in the afternoon carrying homemade vegetable soup and ploye mix. Meag informed me she was making supper tonight and the girl certainly didn't hear any objections from me.

 

Ben stepped in to help and served as the Butter Tech, the person who applied liberal coats of butter to each ploye as they came from the cast iron skillet. 

For those who don't know what a ploye is, here's a link to further your culinary knowledge. Don't say I never taught you anything.

https://www.eater.com/2016/10/31/13439280/ployes-maine-french-acadian-tradition

My sons grew up eating ployes and we considered them a common side to many meals. 

Note the halo around Meag's head.

And the soup! What does one say when he tastes perfection? Meag put several kinds of vegetables, potatoes and sweet potatoes through a processor and made a wonderful tasting soup, one of the best I've ever tasted, especially on a cold and rainy night.



The festivities come to a halt Sunday morning. Ben and Meag are planning on pulling out fairly early and making their way to the Minneapolis area. From there, they are heading straight south and will spend the next several months enjoying the warmth that the deep south has to offer.



Sargie and I will leave around noon on Sunday for Milwaukee with one stop scheduled in Green Bay. It's going to be a hectic and very tiring next two days, of that we're certain.

So with all that being said, it's time to say goodnight and make my way up the stairs.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sometimes the biggest joys come in the smallest packages.
Meag, meet Jimmy.

October 27, 2018 - Saturday

41 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I'm up early this morning trying to get the usual done before the day officially begins. Meag and Ben are parked in the front meadow and I assume they're still fast asleep. The fire's going in the wood stove, the coffee's hot, and I'm enjoying a donut from a bag the kids gave us. 

Sigh...

Life is good.

Friday began with a whirl of activity. I was out the door as soon as Sargie left for work, hooking the lawn sweeper onto the mower and racing back and forth over the front and back yards.

I'm not certain how many loads of leaves were collected, but it seemed I spent more time dumping than I did collecting. Leaves were over a foot deep in some places.

With the lawn fairly clean, I mowed for the last time this season. If the grass grows any more between now and next April, well, tough. It'll just have to grow. I'm ready to move on.

Meag and Ben arrived mid morning in their blue bus. I've written about what they do previously, but their story and mission can be read here:

thewilddrive.com

These young people are two breaths of fresh air and unlike so many of their generation, expect nothing unless they work and earn it. 

I like their philosophy of life and attitude. I like it a lot.

The completely transformed prison bus they call home is as much a work of art as a beautiful and convenient mode of transportation.

Ben's the co-designer, builder, and mechanic, and claims that if he's able to do a large conversion, anyone can. I'd trade my skills (or lack of them) for his any old day. Ben's also a very talented writer and his compositions on their blog are not only interesting, but easy to read.

Meag is a writer and advertising/web page designer and can work from anywhere in the world. If you've ever seen any of the vacation literature from some of the more touristy towns in coastal Maine, Old Orchard Beach for one, chances are Meag's had her hand in it. Seems her real desire is to write and cook. I can personally attest that she does both very well.

After an afternoon of relaxing by the wood stove, their pup, Moose, just doesn't want to get back on the bus.

 We spent most of Friday playing catch up on each other's lives, talked of the old days in northern Maine, and what the future may hold for these two.

There's been mention of a reality show and yesterday, they were contacted for the possibility of being guests on a national talk show. The world seems to be at their fingertips, yet, they also dream of a more normal life, a permanent home, children, and most of all, how they can help others.

Sargie was home by early evening and between the four of us, fish were fried, salad was tossed, and potato pancakes made.



Meag seems to have the ability to whip up any dish one's heart might desire and when I mentioned how good Neighbor Mike's potato pancakes are, she said, "Oh, we can do that," and whip she did.

Meag put Ben to work grating northern Maine spuds while Meag began mixing and concocting the ingredients. In the end, her potato pancakes were to die for good.



I'm thinking of having a potato pancake cook off between Jambo and Meag. Oh forget it. Meag would win. She's a lot prettier than Neighbor Mike.

The four of us sat around the table last night talking and later moved into the living room. It was well past everyone's bedtime before we called an end to the day. There are some conversations and good times that a person just doesn't want to end.

Earlier, Ben had moved the bus to the front pasture so they could enjoy some real peace and quiet. 



Evidently, it worked. I haven't heard a peep out of either this morning.

Sargie closes the Vision Center today. I need to run to town and get parts for the Blazer so Mechanic Dave can begin to make the old SUV winter ready. 

If it's not raining, Meag, Ben, and I, will take a hike down to Pentoga and the bridge across the mighty Brule River later this morning. Possibly we'll drive over to the old Mansfield Church this afternoon and do a bit of sight seeing in that direction.

Sargie and I will leave Sunday around noon for an Monday morning appointment in Milwaukee. We decided it will be easier to take our time going, get a room in a nearby hotel, and be rested, rather than get up in the middle of the night for the five hour journey, then drive back home later in the day.

Speaking of days, it's time to get this one started.   

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Jerad with his first bull elk

October 26, 2018 - Friday

39 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Talk about a little guy on Christmas Day! Jerad has been out with his uncle the past ten days or so traipsing up and down the mountainsides of Montana in search of mule deer and elk. Jerad scored his first deer several days ago when he brought down a big buck then bagged this beautiful bull elk the day before yesterday.

We'll look forward to hearing some wild and wooly stories in the days to come.

Thursday was a long and busy one. Having an appointment in Green Bay, we were on the road before 5 AM and didn't see Pentoga Road again until 5 last night. Traffic was fairly heavy, but moved right along and we made good time traveling both ways.

Sargie's been working for the past several evenings on her projects for "Bras for a Cause," a huge fundraiser event held this weekend in Iron Mountain to support breast cancer research.

This year, Sargie made two, one to honor her mother, the other for her sister, both of whom had breast cancer.

As with all types of cancer, it's a horrible disease for which, hopefully, a cure can be found.

Meag and Ben will be pulling in later this morning for a visit. We're looking forward to visiting with the young 'un's and hearing of their adventures and travels. Meag wrote last night saying they'd been in the Grand Marais area of the UP and had hiked eleven miles along Lake Superior on the Pictured Rocks Trail yesterday. My kind of kiddos.

OK, time to move along. Sargie works from 9 to 5 today. I hope to get the wood furnace moved out to under the lean to at some point, the lawn sweeper run over the grass, and maybe, just maybe, the grass cut for one last time. On the other hand, we may just get to gabbing and it will all be a moot point.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I found this picture last night.
I'd just arrived home from Boston last week and Hambone was at the airport to meet me. As a favor to Pawpaw, he insisted he pull my luggage. When it became too difficult, I lifted him onto the suitcase and took him for a ride out to the car.