Hambone, aka, the "Butterfly Whisperer"

July 15, 2019 - Monday morning

69 degrees/cloudy/ calm winds/HUMID

Pentoga Road

So close, yet so far. There's an 80% chance of rain so I'm just hoping we're not sitting under the 20% of clouds that are dry.

I slept in this morning, made it all the way to 7 AM. Venturing a guess, I'd say it's because Hambone kept Grandma Sargie and me busy yesterday. 

I was working up wood early Sunday morning when I heard a voice from the upstairs bedroom window. It was The Bone, saying he'd be right down.

Before you have kittens, know that Pawpaw stood between him and the wood before he was allowed to push the lever. (Note the very manly pair of safety glasses. Pawpaw wears glasses so Grady had to do the same.)

All work and no play is no fun. Grady would occasionally heed to his other calling, that of being Butterfly Boy and take off with net in hand.

He even got into Pawpaw's scrap wood box and made a butterfly trap.

I was pretty impressed. Left to his own devices, I think the boy has a future in Lepidopterology, the study of butterflies.

Breakfast eaten, it was time to finish the trailer full of wood. Hambone said it might be too hot and he wasn't sure he wanted to help anymore. Watching cartoons or playing on the internet sounded much more appealing. 

It was then that Hambone received the first history lesson of his young life, the John Smith Rule.

"He that will not work, shall not eat," or in Hambone's case, shall not go swimming with Pawpaw later in the afternoon. 

I explained to him that in the summer months, Uncle Josh, Uncle Luke, Uncle Matt, and Uncle Andy, ALL grew up under that rule and after completing the morning's work, had so much fun every afternoon swimming or playing in the woods.

Hambone's an apt student. We sang, we talked, and made up rhymes while we worked, and before we knew it, the trailer that had been overflowing with wood was completely empty!

Let the fun begin!! 

It was noon and time to go to town and bid Isabella and her mommy goodbye. She and Sarah will be driving back to Wyoming today.



The BFF's played in Isabella's wading pool and ran through the sprinkler before finally saying goodbye. They'll see each other again at Christmas.

After working all morning, putting up wood, catching butterflies, building a butterfly trap, and nonstop singing, it was time to refuel. What better way than with a Happy Meal? Hambone made quick business of that. 

Now it was time to get down to business... to go swimming at the lake!

Despite what the sign says, this is THE swimming beach for the nearby locals who don't live directly on the lake.

Hambone made instant friends with a couple of young mommies who were enjoying a rare afternoon of munchkin free floating.

Grady even doggie paddled out and gabbed with one of our friends, Betsy, who swam down from their lakeside home to talk for a bit. Betsy's in her late 70's, walks up to ten miles a day, and makes me feel like a lightweight. Young or old, Hambone's happy to socialize with everyone.

All good things must come to an end and after almost two hours, two prunes emerged from the lake. Grandma Sargie had been watching from the dock, taking pictures while her tootsies were submerged in the cooling water.



We met Macrea twice late Sunday afternoon. The first time was for the Bone exchange, the second was when it was discovered we'd forgotten his medicine and had to turn around and meet again. It all turned out well in the long run.

Sargie's back to work today. I need to order a load of sand and another of gravel to be delivered. One will be to fill a hundred sandbags, the other for the underwater gravel filter that will help to keep the pond clean. After, assuming it doesn't rain, I'll be bringing in the wood from the trees that Jerad cut on Saturday, working it up and putting it away. Seems there's never a lack of things to do... unless it should happen to rain. 

Then it will be a lazy day filled with naps and laziness!

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...