A designer mailbox now adorns Pentoga Road

February 2, 2019 - Saturday evening

21 degrees/calm winds/cloudy

Pentoga Road

It's a lazy evening Sargie and I are enjoying tonight. Our tummies are full of fried fish and French fries and we're fat and happy. 

I was out in the shop early this morning. Amazing how fast the room warmed when the outside temperature was in the teens ABOVE zero rather than thirty below.

My first task was to finish carving the goldfish.

I really enjoy this type of craftwork. It requires some fairly intricate scroll sawing, plus no small amount of shaping, sanding, and painting.

If the cuts are accurate, the pieces should fit snug. All were painted, glued, and puzzled together onto a backboard.

It took some doing, but in the end, the goldfish came to life.

Once the fish was completed, I turned my attentions to getting back on task, that of making the promised presents that Sargie has requested.

I cut a piece of hickory from a square eight foot  post.

Once again, I muttered about a too-small lathe when I discovered the wood was too large to spin without hitting the base of the tool rest where the chisel rests. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I fastened the base alongside the wood and turned as far as the chisel would reach. As the edges were removed and the wood made round, the tool rest was moved to the center and utilized in a more conventional manner.

My patience paid off. The hickory was soon round and ready to be hollowed and shaped. I worked for a while longer before quitting for the day.

Sargie and I had a nice ride today. It was by far the warmest day we've had in some time.

We went to several area lakes and were surprised that most were devoid of ice fishermen. 

I don't know if most are simply tired of winter or decided to stay inside.

The day was beautiful and we drove slowly snapping pictures of anything that caught our interest. 

Barns are one of my favorite subjects. Sargie and I have often talked that the old red barns we grew up with as children are becoming a rare sight.

It makes me sad to see the wooden monuments symbolizing yesterday's farmer disappearing. I have wondered if my great grandchildren will even know what a barn is, or in their case, was.

Back home, I took advantage of the warm temperatures to put a knob on our mailbox that was damaged last week by the plow truck.

This particular handle is one of several that was replaced on our bedroom closet doors. One thing for certain, we're class on Pentoga Road, all class.

Sargie and I enjoyed fried bluegill fillets and French fries for supper tonight. The fish were those Jambo and I caught the other day ice fishing. All were delicious.

Sargie works from noon to five Sunday afternoon. The weather is to be warm, but wet, either dropping copious amounts of snow and/or freezing rain. Either way, we're under a winter weather advisory.

I'll start a fire and warm the shop first thing in the morning then spend the day working on different projects. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Over the river and through the woods