 |
| Monday evening's moon over downtown Florence, Wisconsin |
41 degrees/cloudy/windy
Pentoga Road
I figured I'd better write tonight as I'll be riding with Sargie back to Iron Mountain early in the morning. I delivered pumpkins and squash this evening then stayed in town to ride back with Sargie.
Monday morning found me closing down the pumps to the fountain and waterfalls in the garden pond and begin the process of draining the water onto the garden.
It wasn't fun. With temperatures in the low 30's and a steady breeze, skimming the ice off the surface, bare handed, was a numbing experience.
I wasn't alone in the garden. Back from raising yet another family deep in the woods, I first heard Jimmy in a nearby apple tree. Within minutes, he landed on my head, then hopped down onto my shoulder, and finally, ended up on my hand looking for a free handout.
It wasn't hard to net the goldfish, the sucker, and a few minnows. With the water so cold, the fish had gone into a stupor which made catching them quite easy. As the water level was lowered, I was netting as many as three and four fish at a swipe.
Fish weren't the only critters to be brought inside. Three frogs also made the trip to the fifty gallon tote for the winter months. One is swimming along the surface and the other two have gone back into hibernation under the filter/pump.
Over two hours were spent cleaning the pumps, hoses, and putting the hardware away. The fish are now settled in for the dark months ahead down the basement.
It was past noon before I drove to town. Two pieces of metal roofing were purchased at the local lumber yard.
I also bought fire brick, enough to line the wood furnace.
Back home, I began work on removing the old, cracked, fire brick. What a job.
It took well over two hours. I'm not sure when the last time it was cleaned, I'm guessing sometime between the birth of Christ and the Civil War. It certainly had many years, maybe decades, of creosote coating everything.
I really concentrated on cleaning the grooves where the new fire brick would be placed. They fit so tightly together that even a small bit of hard ash can cause a jam, making it nearly impossible to get everything to fit correctly.
With the firebox cleaned and inspected, it was time to line it with the new bricks and reinstall the grate.
Presto chango! The stove is ready to be moved under the lean to. After, the duct work will be fastened and installed in the shop. I hope to be completely finished with the new heating system either this weekend or sometime next week.
I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through the pumpkins and winter squash. I was disappointed to find several of the larger squash already beginning to rot. They are very sugary and it appears they'll not be good keepers.
I've never grown banana squash before and probably won't again. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Two or three ended up as deer fodder in Neighbor Mike's field.
The last chore of the day was to load the pumpkins and squash into the Blazer.
Deliveries (along with fine conversations) were made to Ross and Holly, Derek and Leah, and Boyd and Jeanne. I swore that I'd not come home with any pumpkins and thankfully, I didn't. We still have plenty on the porch for decoration.
Sargie opens in the morning. I'll ride back and run an errand or two before returning home. The first order of the day, assuming it's not raining, will be to install the metal roofing over the lean to. Assuming that happens, I may try to move the wood furnace to the poured cement pad using the front end loader on the tractor.
We'll see.
Weighing several hundred pounds, it very well could be a two or three man job.
It's hard to concentrate and my eyes keep wanting to close. I think that's my body's way of saying it's time to go to bed.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
It wasn't fun. With temperatures in the low 30's and a steady breeze, skimming the ice off the surface, bare handed, was a numbing experience.
I wasn't alone in the garden. Back from raising yet another family deep in the woods, I first heard Jimmy in a nearby apple tree. Within minutes, he landed on my head, then hopped down onto my shoulder, and finally, ended up on my hand looking for a free handout.
It wasn't hard to net the goldfish, the sucker, and a few minnows. With the water so cold, the fish had gone into a stupor which made catching them quite easy. As the water level was lowered, I was netting as many as three and four fish at a swipe.
Fish weren't the only critters to be brought inside. Three frogs also made the trip to the fifty gallon tote for the winter months. One is swimming along the surface and the other two have gone back into hibernation under the filter/pump.
Over two hours were spent cleaning the pumps, hoses, and putting the hardware away. The fish are now settled in for the dark months ahead down the basement.
It was past noon before I drove to town. Two pieces of metal roofing were purchased at the local lumber yard.
I also bought fire brick, enough to line the wood furnace.
Back home, I began work on removing the old, cracked, fire brick. What a job.
It took well over two hours. I'm not sure when the last time it was cleaned, I'm guessing sometime between the birth of Christ and the Civil War. It certainly had many years, maybe decades, of creosote coating everything.
I really concentrated on cleaning the grooves where the new fire brick would be placed. They fit so tightly together that even a small bit of hard ash can cause a jam, making it nearly impossible to get everything to fit correctly.
With the firebox cleaned and inspected, it was time to line it with the new bricks and reinstall the grate.
Presto chango! The stove is ready to be moved under the lean to. After, the duct work will be fastened and installed in the shop. I hope to be completely finished with the new heating system either this weekend or sometime next week.
I've never grown banana squash before and probably won't again. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Two or three ended up as deer fodder in Neighbor Mike's field.
The last chore of the day was to load the pumpkins and squash into the Blazer.
Deliveries (along with fine conversations) were made to Ross and Holly, Derek and Leah, and Boyd and Jeanne. I swore that I'd not come home with any pumpkins and thankfully, I didn't. We still have plenty on the porch for decoration.
Sargie opens in the morning. I'll ride back and run an errand or two before returning home. The first order of the day, assuming it's not raining, will be to install the metal roofing over the lean to. Assuming that happens, I may try to move the wood furnace to the poured cement pad using the front end loader on the tractor.
We'll see.
Weighing several hundred pounds, it very well could be a two or three man job.
It's hard to concentrate and my eyes keep wanting to close. I think that's my body's way of saying it's time to go to bed.
 |
| Think there are enough leaves around the back deck? Yet another chore on a very long list of things to do before snow flies. |
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
 |
| You saw the end product of family pictures from last Saturday's gathering. Here's one taken behind the scenes. Trying to get nine grandbabies to stand still and smile is like herding cats. |
No comments:
Post a Comment