The sugar snap peas in bloom.
I'll know where to find Sargie and Hambone in the next couple of weeks. Both would rather graze on fresh pea pods than any other vegetable.

July 18, 2019 - Thursday morning

69 degrees/clouds/thunder

Pentoga Road

So far, other than one quick shower, the storms have all gone to our south. I can't say we need the rain as there's still water standing in the bottom of the pond, but ask me in a week or two and I'm sure I'll be wishing for an overnight soaking rain.

I zipped into town first thing Wednesday morning and got what was needed from Mechanic Dave to put the hub/wheel back on the backhoe.

Dave had everything pressed and packed and it was a matter of tapping the bearings onto the axle and tightening the nut. I was back in business.

It was getting hot, darn hot, so the action moved to the woods where I began carrying in the last of one tree that Jerad dropped last Saturday.

I found the utility wagon, a Little Red Wagon on steroids, has come in handy for so many things. When Sargie got it for me last year, I wondered how much I'd actually use it. 

I found it was much easier to maneuver around in the woods yesterday than the tractor and carried a fair amount of wood. Since the tires are inflatable, it's fairly easy to pull, even with a heavy weight.

Mid afternoon saw me begin repairs on the pond. The first order of business was to build a lip around the entire pit to ensure no more water runs from ground level down to the bottom.

The top terrace was repaired, but the others were still too wet. The bottom has several inches of wet, gooey, clay and there's nothing to do but wait until it dries before I can begin removing the dirt that was washed down below.

I was working with the backhoe and finishing the surface closest to the house when I heard a strange noise and immediately shut the machine down.

What the heck? Two motor mounts had broken. I'd just replaced two earlier this spring.

There was nothing to do but make another trip to town. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed.

The hardware store didn't have exactly what I needed, but with some jury rigging, I made do and was back in business.

I scooped, raked, and hauled dirt for the rest of the afternoon.



Finally, the surface around the pond was roughly finished. There are rocks and some boulders that need to go away, but at least I can walk from one side of the pond to the other without having to climb a mountain of dirt along the way. 

Eventually, there'll be pavers and gravel, planters, benches, and even a water fall, so I'm not too concerned about it looking pretty at this stage. I just wanted the hills of dirt and rocks to be gone.

Seems there's some curiosity how the sandbags fit into the scheme of things concerning the pond. My friend, Cosmo, a professional artist, made a couple of sketches for me early on, just ideas about how I might create an underwater gravel filter.

The sandbags will sit at the outer edge of two or three terraces to hold the gravel against the inner side. Four inch perforated pipe will be run back and forth between the sandbags and the terrace wall after which, gravel will be added on top.

A pump, to which the perforated pipe is attached, will pull the water down through the gravel, filtering it, and spew out clean water creating an actual current in the pond. 

Sargie was home early last night and is off today. We enjoyed a quiet evening and were in bed fairly early. 

Principal Neil called last night and tossed out the idea of me teaching second grade on a full time basis next year. Seems qualified candidates are hard to find. 

I laughed, thanked him, and told him to keep looking. All my certifications expired many years ago (allowed to on my part) and I have no desire to go back and be a student in the same methods classes I taught at the university for years. The thought of actually having to get up every morning and facing a class of seven year olds makes me want to crawl into the corner and curl up in the fetal position. 

I'm looking forward to substitute teaching this coming year and told Neil I'd help out as much as he needed me, but at the end of the day, I want to skip out of the school and come home to my Sargie without any worries in the world. 

It's called being retired.

Chief the Dog arrives later today for a week of nonstop action. He certainly keeps Sargie and me entertained.

I received a call from Fed Ex Freight last night saying they would be delivering the liner and underlayment to the plant this afternoon. I've about made up my mind to wait until we arrive home from Josh's retirement ceremony in early August to lay the liner as it'll be nonstop action for a few days after, making the filter, filling the pond, making certain the pump works, etc. 

I want to talk to the Stambough Township Supervisor and see if I can tap into their rural water system across the road to fill the pond. They are continually flushing the lines and I'd be happy for them to flush them directly into the pond.

Problem is, we are located in Mastodon Township, ten feet away from the other township's line.

Meanwhile, I'm going to head out to the shop and work on a large Jesus I'm making. The lamination came out well and after a quick pass through the planer, I think I can begin sawing. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

This winter's hardwood supply is slowly adding up. This doesn't include the several cords of softwood already in storage.