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| Yooper Brother Mark and I installing the plywood for the roof. |
47 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road
I'm furiously typing this morning before Hambone comes bounding down the stairs. Failing to finish, it could be midnight before this is uploaded.
Hambone and I have developed a unique tradition that was started by Grandpa Pennington. We "secretly" enjoy two cookies apiece in the morning when Grandma Sargie's in the shower or elsewhere. We whisper as we eat them, giggle a bit, and take only tiny bites to make them last as long as possible.
Of course, that only happens after a promise that later, we'll sit up and eat a big breakfast.
Grandpa Pennington started his day with a sweet, usually before Grandma was out of bed. We'd sit at the kitchen table, often before sunrise, and talk while we ate some forbidden morsel, usually one of Grandma's homemade sugar cookies fresh from the jar. Grandpa would make a big deal out of it and doing something so naughty was a little secret that bonded us, a secret turned tradition that was continued until I was almost thirty and Grandpa passed away.
Some things should never die. Eating an early morning cookie with Grandpa is one of them.
I began yesterday by installing a set of old living room windows on each side of the bigger one in the rear wall of the garden house.
It took a bit of engineering to make them symmetrical and look like they belong there, but in the end, they'll work. With the trees bare of leaves in the early spring, more than enough light should pour into the garden house.
We left around noon for Iron Mountain to get Hambone. After a quick Happy Meal, he was anxious to see the new pond. It's been filled and running since he was here last. Grandma and I both had promised him that he could go swimming.
Excited? We made the suspense last by making the boy close his eyes as we led him to the side yard.
Talk about excitement. With his face firmly buried in Grandma Sargie's back, he began giggling and shaking as we drew nearer. The rushing water only added more anticipation.
Finally, it was "One Two Three!!! Open your eyes!!!"
The boy could hardly believe his luck. Why, to have his very own swimming hole in the side yard!
We felt the water, splashed a bit, then it was time to go in. I've never seen a boy like the water as much as Grady.
My name soon changed from Pawpaw the Claw to PawPaw the Whale.
Oh how we laughed and giggled when Pawpaw's big body hit the water and as Hambone said, "It made HUGE waves everywhere!"
I dragged Hambone out of the water after almost an hour. He wanted to swim longer, but I promised he could go again today. We're going to get a load of sand and make the beach. It only makes sense that one of us gets wet.
Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri came out last evening. It was Mark who suggested we start on the roof of the garden shed.
I know there are parts of the garden house that are way over built. I could have used the much lighter OSB, particle board, for the roof, but I followed the plans to the T. That being said, Sargie and I could never have lifted the plywood by ourselves.
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| Thankfully, everything was fairly square and the rafters lined up with the plywood. |
The front half of the garden house was covered before darkness set in. Even with the scaffolding, the roof is too steep to scale and only a few screws were used to secure the covering. I'll be fashioning hooks today and using a section of an old extension ladder to finish screwing the boards down. The hooks will be hung over the peak, allowing me to climb up the ladder to finish my work.
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| The first tomatoes of the season |
Time to get Grandma Sargie's lunch packed and breakfast ready.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
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