Jambo's showing his new natural counter top made from a raw board, sanded smooth, then finished with a heavy coat of clear epoxy. It's beautiful.

May 17, 2019 - Friday morning

38 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's not fair. I hang out with these guys that have an extraordinary amount of skill, Mississippi Brother Garry, Jambo, and Yooper Brother Mark, and you'd think some of that would rub off on me. It's all I can do to pound two boards together, yet these guys make everything they touch look like an art form.

Jambo has personally pounded almost every nail to build his camp and that alone is a work of art. The natural countertop is just the latest stroke of the brush.

Ol' Jambo's got the itch to go fishing and needed to air up the tires on his boat trailer. Rather than go to a lot of work, I threw the smaller air compressor on the four wheeler yesterday morning and much like a pizza delivery boy, brought the air to him.

I hope the tires hold. Telly Sevalas had more tread on the top of his head than Jambo's tires. We also got the boat motor on the transom and it appears the rig is almost ready for another year of fishing.

Mike and Germaine have a real problem in the form of Billy the Bluebird. The little bugger loves to use the rearview mirror on their SUV as an outhouse. 

If Billy can't find a car, he's happy to use the handle grips on my four wheeler, and failing that, he'll attach onto any screen on their camp to do his business.

I walked out the back door last night and found Billy, or one of his buddies, fighting our resident swallow for one of our bird houses. I love bluebirds, but I hope Billy remains on the other side of the road. I have Jimmy the Chickadee and unlike Jambo's highly undisciplined bluebird, my winged pet is potty trained.

Hey, I just had a thought. Though I proudly claim to have been a humble school teacher during my working years, I was, after all, a professor of graduate students in the University of Alaska system. As such, I was paid to think deep thoughts. 

I just had one, rare for me these days. 

S'cuse me.

Jambo, until you get that blankety-blank bluebird trained, why don't you slap a diaper on it? It would save all of us a lot of scrubbing.

OK, now where was I?

Sargie and I were successful yesterday in taking advantage of sales and bought both groceries and bedding plants. Though little was accomplished in the garden or around the house, we won't starve and our place should look pretty in the coming months.

I'm excited. I talked with longtime Milligan friends, Cosmos and Mike, last night and we'll be visiting them in the near future to view their pond and pick their brains on how to further proceed with our's. I've absorbed about as much as I can from "book learnin'" and need to talk with real live people who know what they are doing. I've got so many questions that I won't know where to begin. 

Last night's supper? Mmm, fresh portabella mushrooms, cottage cheese, a handful of grapes, and grilled bratwursts. 

I'll tell you what, my Sargie can whip up the best summertime kitchen magic.

I'm not at all certain what's on today's agenda. I rather imagine it will involve planting a million, billion, geraniums, playing in the dirt in the garden, and going for an early morning walk. 

Speaking of an early morning walk, it's time.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...